The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance
Grant (DCTAG) Program

Alexandra Hegji
Analyst in Social Policy
February 7, 2013
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41313
CRS Report for Congress
Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) Program

Summary
The District of Columbia College Access Act of 1999 (P.L. 106-98) was enacted on November
12, 1999, creating the District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) program. The
program provides grants to District of Columbia residents for undergraduate education. Grants for
study at public institutions of higher education (IHEs) nationwide offset the difference between
in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees, up to $10,000 per year and a cumulative maximum of
$50,000. Students may also receive grants of up to $2,500 per year and a cumulative maximum of
$12,500 for undergraduate study at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
nationwide and private IHEs in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.


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The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) Program

Contents
Background ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Legislation ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Program Structure ............................................................................................................................ 3
Administration ........................................................................................................................... 3
Eligibility ................................................................................................................................... 4
Institution ............................................................................................................................ 4
Student ................................................................................................................................. 5
Application ................................................................................................................................ 6
Payments.................................................................................................................................... 6
Interaction with Federal Student Aid ......................................................................................... 6
Appropriations ................................................................................................................................. 7
Performance ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Students Served ......................................................................................................................... 9
Awards Versus High School Enrollment ................................................................................. 10
Grants by Ward ........................................................................................................................ 11
Graduation Rates ..................................................................................................................... 11
Analysis of Grant Benefits ............................................................................................................. 12
Public Institutions of Higher Education .................................................................................. 12
Private Nonprofit Schools and Private HBCUs ....................................................................... 14

Figures
Figure 1. DCTAG Award by Institution Type .................................................................................. 9
Figure 2. AY2011-2012 Number of Maximum DCTAG Awards at Public Four-Year IHEs,
by Location ................................................................................................................................. 13

Tables
Table 1. Maximum Annual and Lifetime DCTAG Awards at Eligible Institutions ......................... 5
Table 2. Appropriations for the DCTAG Program ........................................................................... 7
Table 3. DCTAG Funds Available and Expended, by Fiscal Year ................................................... 8
Table 4. Number of First-Time DCTAG Recipients Who Recently Graduated High
School, by Academic Year .......................................................................................................... 10
Table 5. Five-Year Average Median Family Income and DCTAG Awards, by Ward .................... 11
Table 6. DCTAG Enrollment and Number of $10,000 Awards, by Academic Year ...................... 12
Table 7. DCTAG Participants Enrolled in and Median Full-Time Enrollment
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at District of Columbia Private Not-for-Profit Title IV-
Eligible Four-Year IHEs ............................................................................................................. 14
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The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) Program

Table 8. DCTAG Participants Enrolled in and Median Full-Time Enrollment
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Private Not-for-Profit Title IV-Eligible
Four-Year HBCUs ...................................................................................................................... 14

Appendixes
Appendix. Other Higher Education Support Programs for District of Columbia Residents ......... 16

Contacts
Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 17
Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................... 17

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Background
The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) program was created in 1999 to
address concerns about the public postsecondary education offerings available to District of
Columbia residents.
In the 1990s, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), which, at the time, was the only
public institution of higher education (IHE) in Washington, DC, faced a series of obstacles that
threatened its existence. In the midst of financial shortfalls across the District’s government, the
school’s budget was severely reduced, from $76 million in FY1992 to $43 million in FY1995. In
1996, when UDC’s budget was reduced by an additional $16.2 million, fall enrollment dropped
from 10,000 students the previous year to 7,600 students.1 The next fall, acting UDC President
Julius E. Nimmons, Jr. laid off 125 faculty members, nearly one-third of the institution’s full-time
faculty, as well as 200 of the university’s 437 non-faculty employees.2 The school’s accreditation,
though thrown into doubt, was renewed in 1997. Despite reforms put into place after the
reaccreditation, UDC remained under public scrutiny for several years.
As a possible indicator that the public higher education available in Washington, DC, did not
meet their needs, District residents enrolled in postsecondary institutions outside of their home
jurisdiction at a rate far higher than their peers elsewhere in the United States. In the fall of 1998,
3,116 District residents were enrolled as undergraduate freshmen in IHEs, of whom 1,163 (37%)
attended public or private institutions in DC. The national average for postsecondary attendance
within an individual’s jurisdiction3 of residence that year was 82%, with Vermont’s 54% in-state
attendance ranking as the second lowest in the nation.4
This disparity in college-attendance trends across states raised concerns about the cost for District
students attending IHEs. In each of the 50 states, some form of public higher education is made
available to in-state students at a lower cost than the price of tuition and fees offered to students
from outside the state, thereby reducing the average total postsecondary education cost for
residents of that jurisdiction. In academic year (AY) 1999–2000, “dependent undergraduates from
the District of Columbia paid [an average of] $7,890 per year in tuition minus all grant aid …
more than twice the national average” of $3,215 per student annually.5

1 Raoul Dennis, “Accreditation Renewed for the University of the District of Columbia,” Black Issues in Higher
Education
, December 11, 1997, pp. 16–17.
2 “News and Views: UDC; A Chain of Calamities,” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, June 30, 1997, p. 72.
3 “Jurisdiction” is defined here as the 50 U.S. states and Washington, DC.
4 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data
System (IPEDS), “Residence and Migration of all freshmen students in degree-granting institutions, by state: Fall
1998.”
5 Thomas Kane, Evaluating the Impact of the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program, National Bureau of Economic
Research, Working Paper 10658, August 2004, pp. 1–2, http://www.nber.org/papers/w10658.
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Although similar issues arising elsewhere in the United States might be rectified through the
reallocation of resources among public IHEs and the development of policies at the state level,
both the District of Columbia’s unique role and status as the nation’s capital and the state of local
governance required remedies of this sort to be achieved through federal action. In general,
budgetary authority for Washington, DC, rests in the hands of Congress, as:
The Constitution gives Congress the power to “exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases
whatsoever” pertaining to the District of Columbia. In 1973, Congress granted the city
limited home rule authority and empowered citizens of the District to elect a mayor and city
council. However, Congress retained the authority to review and approve all District laws,
including the District’s annual budget.6
While Congress retains the power to determine the appropriation and allocation of funds, it
typically cedes much of the daily governance to local government. However, in the 1990s,
troubled city services, a poor credit rating that hindered the District’s ability to borrow funds, and
an FY1995 budget deficit of $722 million led to federal intervention. Two pieces of legislation,
the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995 (P.L.
104-8) and the National Capital Revitalization Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-33), increased the federal
role in the governance of the District of Columbia. New oversight committees were formed and
many of the “state functions” normally carried out by the District of Columbia’s government were
temporarily transferred to Congress.7
As Congress attempted to rejuvenate the District of Columbia’s local government and improve
the standard of living for the average citizen,8 an increasing number of concerns were raised
about the postsecondary education opportunities available to District residents. In March 1999,
Washington, DC’s Delegate to Congress Eleanor Holmes Norton and Representatives Tom Davis
and Constance Morella introduced a bill that would create a program to provide support for
higher education to DC residents.
Legislation
On November 12, 1999, the District of Columbia College Access Act (P.L. 106-98) was signed
into law, authorizing the DCTAG program for FY2000 to FY2005.9 Congress defined the
program’s purpose as “enabl[ing] college-bound residents of the District of Columbia to have
greater choices among institutions of higher education.”10
The DCTAG program provides grants to District residents, regardless of need or merit, to attend
eligible public and private not-for-profit IHEs in the United States. When the program was first

6 CRS Report R40801, Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2010 Appropriations, coordinated by
Garrett Hatch.
7 CRS Report RS20990, The District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act, P.L. 104-
8: An Overview of the Law and Related Amendments
, by Eugene Boyd (archived report, available upon request).
8 In another effort to promote the growth of Washington, DC’s middle class, Congress established a $5,000 tax credit
for first-time home buyers in Washington, DC, under the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34). CRS Report 97-
766, District of Columbia Revitalization: Legislation Enacted Under the 105th Congress, by Eugene Boyd (archived
report, available upon request).
9 The law is also codified at the local level as Division VI, Title 38, Subtitle IX, Chapter 27 of the DC Code.
10 P.L. 106-98, Section 1.
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enacted, $10,000 annual scholarships (with a cumulative cap of $50,000) were available
exclusively for use at public IHEs in Maryland and Virginia, and annual grants of $2,500 (with a
cumulative cap of $12,500) were available exclusively for tuition and fees at a limited number of
private colleges and private historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Maryland and
Virginia. Both the $10,000 scholarship for attendance at a public not-for-profit school and the
$2,500 grant for attendance at certain private schools were intended to assist DC high school
graduates in pursuing a postsecondary education and to provide them with a “greater range of
options” for their postsecondary education.11
The act also included a provision (Section 3(c)(1)(a)(ii)) that permitted the mayor of the District
of Columbia to broaden the list of public institutions eligible to receive program funds, which
could include IHEs outside Maryland and Virginia. In May 2000, Mayor Anthony Williams
exercised this administrative authority and expanded the program to provide up to $10,000 per
student per year (with a cumulative cap of $50,000) toward the difference between in-state and
out-of-state undergraduate tuition and fees at all public colleges and universities nationwide.
The District of Columbia College Access Improvement Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-157) further
amended the program to provide awards of up to $2,500 per student per year (with a cumulative
cap of $12,500) to assist students with paying the tuition and fees for any private HBCU
nationwide. The addition of these eligible institutions was intended to help expand DC residents’
access to HBCUs nationwide.12
Since its original authorization in 1999, the DCTAG program has been reauthorized twice, once
in 2004 (P.L. 108-457) and again in 2007 (P.L. 110-97). The 2007 reauthorization extended the
appropriation of funds for the DCTAG program through FY2012 and introduced a means-testing
provision prohibiting Washington, DC, residents from families with taxable annual incomes of
$1,000,000 or greater from receiving awards. The DCTAG program is currently operating under a
Continuing Resolution (P.L. 112-175).
Program Structure
Administration
The DCTAG program is administered by the mayor of the District of Columbia, through the
Office of the State Superintendent of Education’s (OSSE’s) Higher Education Financial Services.
As mandated by statute, the District of Columbia government established a dedicated account for
program funds, with separate line items for federal appropriations, District government

11 U.S. Congress, House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, District of Columbia College Access
Act
, report to accompany H.R. 974, 106th Cong., 1st sess., May 24, 1999, H.Rept. 106-158, p. 5; U.S. Congress, Hearing
before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring and the
District of Columbia Subcommittee, H.R. 974—The District of Columbia College Access Act and S. 856—The
Expanded Options in Higher Education for District of Columbia Students Act of 1999
, 106th Cong., 1st sess., June 24,
1999, S. Hrg. 106-252, p. 9.
U.S. Congress, Senate Labor and Public Welfare, Education Amendments of 1971, report to accompany S. 659, 92nd
Cong., 1st sess., August 3, 1971, S.Rept. 92-346 (Washington: GPO, 1971), p. 115.
12 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, District of Columbia College Access Improvement Act
of 2001
, report to accompany H.R. 1499, 107th Cong., 1st sess., November 29, 2001, S.Rept. 107-101, p. 4.
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contributions, unobligated balances from prior appropriations, and interest earned on the
balance.13 OSSE has taken the further step of creating two separate accounts, one for short-term
expenditures (within 90 days) and one for longer-term needs, both of which can receive direct
deposits from federal appropriations.14 If the funds made available for the program are not
sufficient to fully support all applicants at the maximum allowable grant amount, the mayor is
required to ratably reduce awards—first reducing those granted to first-time recipients and then
those granted to renewing recipients. Should this be required, the mayor is authorized to apply
ratable reductions based on student financial need and administrative burden.
Eligibility
Institution
The size of the DCTAG award that a District of Columbia resident can receive is based on the
type of institution attended (see Table 1). District of Columbia residents are eligible to receive
DCTAG funds in amounts not to exceed $10,000 per student per year (with a total per student cap
of $50,000) to attend any public Title IV eligible15 four-year IHE in the United States.16 Because
the UDC provides an in-state tuition rate for DC students, District of Columbia residents are
specifically prohibited from using DCTAG funds to reduce the cost of attending UDC. Likewise,
students may not use DCTAG funds to attend the Community College of the District of
Columbia—the open-admission, two-year IHE that was split off from UDC in August 2009 as a
separate institution—because it offers reduced tuition to residents of Washington, DC.
Private, nonprofit Title IV eligible HBCUs17 nationwide and private Title IV-eligible nonprofit
IHEs18 in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area (defined as the District of Columbia; the cities
of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax in Virginia; Arlington and Fairfax counties in Virginia;
and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland)19 are eligible to accept DCTAG
funds in amounts not to exceed $2,500 per student per year (with a total per student cap
of $12,500).
Nationwide, public Title IV-eligible two-year IHEs are eligible to accept DCTAG funds in
amounts not to exceed $2,500 per student per year (with a total per student cap of $10,000).

13 D.C. Code §38-2705(h).
14 Government Accountability Office (GAO), District of Columbia: Financial and Program Management
Improvements Needed for Tuition Assistance Grant Program
, GAO-06-14, October 2005, p. 20.
15 “Title IV eligible” refers to an IHE’s eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs, such as the Direct Loan
Program. Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-329).
16 A full list of eligible institutions that have signed the DCTAG Participation Agreement can be found at
http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/DCTAG-Participating-Colleges-and-
Universities.pdf.
17 As defined in Section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)).
18 As defined in Section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
19 D.C. Code §38-2704(c)(1)(A)(i).
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Table 1. Maximum Annual and Lifetime DCTAG Awards at Eligible Institutions
Private Nonprofit
Public
Title IV-Eligible
Private Nonprofit
Public
Title IV-Eligible
IHEs in the
Title IV-Eligible
Title IV-Eligible
Maximum Annual
Four-Year IHEs
Washington, DC,
Four-Year HBCUs
Two-Year IHEs
and Lifetime Awards
Nationwide
Metropolitan Area
Nationwide
Nationwide
Maximum annual award
$10,000
$2,500
$2,500
$2,500
Student lifetime cap
$50,000
$12,500
$12,500
$10,000
Source: Table compiled by CRS based on review of the District of Columbia College Access Act, D.C. Code
§38-2701 et seq.
To receive funds under the DCTAG program, any of the aforementioned institutions, except
HBCUs, are required to enter into an agreement with the mayor of the District of Columbia
regarding reporting requirements and the institution’s use of funds to supplement, not supplant
assistance that it would otherwise provide eligible students.20
Student
To become and remain eligible for a grant under the DCTAG program, a student must:
• be a resident of the District of Columbia;
• be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States; be able to
provide evidence from the Immigration and Naturalization Service that he or she
is in the United States for other than a temporary purpose with the intention of
becoming a citizen or permanent resident; or be a citizen of any one of the Freely
Associated States;
• be enrolled or accepted for enrollment, on at least a half-time basis, in a degree,
certificate, or other program (including a study-abroad program approved for
credit by the student’s home institution) leading to a recognized educational
credential at an eligible institution;
• maintain satisfactory progress in his or her course of study, as defined by Section
484(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended;
• not be in default on a federal student loan;
• be 24 years of age or younger at the time of initial application, unless enrolled in
the program prior to the 2006–2007 academic year;
• have either graduated from a secondary school or received the equivalent of a
secondary school diploma or have been accepted for enrollment as a freshman at
an eligible institution; and
• be domiciled in the District of Columbia for not less than the 12 consecutive
months preceding enrollment at an eligible IHE, if undergraduate study is started
within three calendar years (excepting periods of National Service21 or service in

20 D.C. Code §38-2702(c)(1)(C).
21 As defined in subtitle D of Title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571 et. seq.).
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the Armed Forces or the Peace Corps) of high school graduation or its equivalent
or be domiciled in the District of Columbia for not less than five consecutive
years preceding enrollment at an eligible IHE, if undergraduate study is started
more than three calendar years after high school graduation or its equivalent.
Post-baccalaureate students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree or students whose
family’s federal taxable income equals or exceeds $1,000,000 annually are ineligible to
participate in the DCTAG program.22
Application
To receive funds through the DCTAG program, an eligible student must:23
• first submit a DC OneApp, the District of Columbia’s online application that
District residents use to apply for the District of Columbia’s state-level higher
education grant programs;
• then fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and
• finally, submit required supporting DC OneApp documents, including domicile
verification, citizenship documentation, a document24 no older than 45 days from
the date of the DC OneApp submission that reflects the name and address of
either the applicant or their parent or legal guardian, proof of high school or
equivalent completion (first-time applicants only), a transcript (renewal
applicants only), and a student aid report.25
Payments
After a student submits a successful application and the grant size is determined, awards are paid
directly to the eligible IHE at which the student is enrolled. In the case of public institutions, the
grant may be no larger than the difference between the in-state and out-of-state tuition and fees,
and in no case may the grant be larger than $10,000 per year, as previously indicated in Table 1.
Grants awarded to students attending school on a less than full-time basis are prorated.
To participate in the DCTAG program, institutions must complete (or have completed) a Program
Participation Agreement; fill out a Minimum Requirements Invoice for a Public or a Private
Institution, including the W-9 form; and email an invoice for eligible students.
Interaction with Federal Student Aid
Because DCTAG funds are not intended to cover the full cost of college attendance, students may
seek additional sources of financial assistance. Title IV federal student aid programs,
administered by the Department of Education, constitute a large share of such support. The

22 D.C. Code §38-2702(c)(2).
23 OSSE, DC OneApp Service, http://osse.dc.gov/service/dc-oneapp-service.
24 The document may be a current utility bill, phone bill (land line, not cell phone), bank statement, pay stub, or
mortgage statement.
25 OSSE, DCTAG Required Support Documents, http://osse.dc.gov/page/dctag-required-supporting-documents.
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maximum loan or grant amount for each of these programs is determined by a different need
analysis calculation involving, but not limited to, the cost of attendance and the total estimated
financial assistance from other sources.26 For the purpose of these calculations, funds received
through the DCTAG program would most likely be considered either scholarships or state
assistance, both of which are considered estimated financial aid.27 As a result, receiving a
DCTAG award may reduce the federal student aid available to a student. For a list of additional
student support available to District of Columbia residents, see the Appendix.
Appropriations
The DCTAG program is funded through annual appropriations, which are available until
expended and do not expire at the end of each fiscal year. From the program’s inception through
FY2007, these funds were included in annual District of Columbia Appropriations Acts;
beginning in 2008, program funds were appropriated through annual Federal Services and
General Government Appropriations Acts. Between FY2010 and FY2012 appropriated funds for
the DCTAG program either decreased or remained level through various acts and Continuing
Resolutions; however, in FY2013, DCTAG appropriations once more increased. Table 2 details
the funding levels for each year of the program’s existence.
Table 2. Appropriations for the DCTAG Program
Appropriation (in
Percentage Change
Fiscal Year
Appropriations Act
millions)
from Prior Year
2000 P.L.
106-113 $17.0

2001 P.L.
106-522 $17.0
0.0%
2002 P.L.
107-96 $17.0
0.0%
2003 P.L.
108-7 $17.0 0.0%
2004 P.L.
108-199 $17.0
0.0%
2005 P.L.
108-335 $25.4
49.4%
2006 P.L.
109-115a $32.9 29.5%
2007
P.L. 109-289b
$32.9 0.0%
2008 P.L.
110-161 $33.0
0.3%
2009 P.L.
111-8 $35.1 6.4%
2010 P.L.
111-117 $35.1
0.0%
2011 P.L.
111-242c $35.1
0.0%
2012 P.L.
112-33d $30.0 -14.5%
2013 P.L.
112-175e $35.1
17%

26 See CRS Report R40122, Federal Student Loans Made Under the Federal Family Education Loan Program and the
William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program: Terms and Conditions for Borrowers
, by David P. Smole, pp. 7–8.
27 See Federal Student Aid Handbook, Chapter 8, http://ifap.ed.gov/fsahandbook/attachments/
0910FSAHbkVol3Ch8Sept30.pdf.
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Source: Library of Congress, THOMAS, Status of Appropriations Legislation, http://thomas.loc.gov/home/
approp/app13.html.
a. P.L. 109-115 initial y appropriated $33.2 million for the DCTAG program in FY2006. P.L. 109-148
instituted an across-the-board rescission of 1%, which reduced the program appropriation to $32.9 million,
as shown.
b. P.L. 109-289 was the first of four continuing resolutions (CRs) that funded DCTAG in FY2007. The other
CRs maintained the DCTAG program’s funding at the FY2006 level. See P.L. 109-369, P.L. 109-383, and
P.L. 110-5.
c. P.L. 111-242 was the first of several CRs that funded DCTAG in FY2011, al of which maintained the
DCTAG program’s funding at the FY2010 level. See P.L. 111-290, P.L. 111-317, P.L. 111-322, P.L. 112-4,
P.L. 112-6, P.L. 112-8, and P.L. 112-10.
d. P.L. 112-33 was fol owed by five CRs that maintained the $30 million funding amount for DCTAG in
FY2012. See P.L. 112-36, P.L. 112-67, P.L. 112-68, P.L. 112-77, and P.L. 112-74.
e. P.L. 112-175 is a CR that that provides funding through March 27, 2013.
Because of the program’s carryover authority, any funds remaining at the end of a fiscal year may
be used to award grants in future years. Table 3 details the available and expended funds for
FY2011–FY2013.
Table 3. DCTAG Funds Available and Expended, by Fiscal Year
FY2011
FY2012a
FY2013b

(AY2010-2011)
(AY2011-2012)
(AY2012-2013)
Revenues
Carry Forward Funding
$24,929,505
$24,904,806
$21,905,733
Federal Appropriation
$35,029,800
$30,000,000
$35,054,247
Interest Earned
$3,430
$4,268
$4,268
Total Revenues $59,958,735
$54,909,074
$56,964,248
Expenditures
Total Expenditures
$35,053,928 $33,033,341 $33,033,341
Carryover (with interest)
Total Carryover
$24,904,809 $21,875,733 $23,660,907
Source: Table provided by the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, December 20, 2012.
a. The FY2011-2012 figures were provided by the DC Office of the State Superintendence of Education and
are based on then-available data.
b. The FY2013 appropriations figure is the actual amount funded for FY2013 under P.L. 112-175; al figures for
FY2013 are estimates based on prior years and were provided by the DC Office of The State
Superintendent of Education.
Performance
Aside from general administrative duties that the District of Columbia must fulfill under the
DCTAG program, the mayor must submit to Congress an annual report detailing the number of
eligible students served and the amount of grant awards disbursed, any reduction in grant size,
and the credentials earned by eligible student cohorts. The Government Accountability Office
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(GAO) also is required to monitor the program, particularly with respect to barriers to enrollment
for program participants and overall program efficacy. In 2005, GAO released a report that
recommended actions be taken to improve the way in which student data are verified, the
reconciliation of cash balances against financial management system totals, and the models used
to predict yearly awards.28 The District of Columbia’s Office of the State Superintendent of
Education reports that it has addressed all of GAO’s concerns.29
Students Served
Figure 1. DCTAG Award by Institution Type
AY2011-2012
10.2%
10.8%
Private HBCU
24.2%
Public HBCU
Public IHE
Private IHE
54.8%

Source: DC Office of the State Superintendent of Higher Education, Higher Education Financial Services,
January 22, 2013.
As of February 2012, a total of 18,663 students have received a total of $307 million in DCTAG
awards and have attended over 600 IHEs in 49 states.30 In AY2011–2012 alone, $33.5 million in
DCTAG funds supported 5,258 students enrolled in postsecondary institutions.31 In AY2011-
2012, DCTAG recipients primarily choose to attend public universities and public HBCUs, as
Figure 1 shows.

28 U.S. Government Accountability Office, District of Columbia: Financial and Program Management Improvements
Needed for Tuition Assistance Grant Program
, GAO-06-14, November 2, 2005, p. 25, http://www.gao.gov/assets/250/
248373.pdf.
29 OSSE, District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program: Accomplishments & Facts, April 2012, p. 17,
http://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/
DCTAG%20Accomplishments%20April%202012.pdf [hereinafter OSSE, DCTAG Accomplishments].
30 Ibid., p. 8.
31 These figures vary somewhat from those provided in Table 3, which were provided to CRS by the DC Office of the
State Superintendent of Higher Education (DC OSSE) in December, 2012, one month prior to the availability of these
most recent figures. The AY2011-2012 data are provisional, as most but not all participating schools have submitted
invoices to DC OSSE. DC Office of the State Superintendent of Higher Education, January 22, 2013.
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The District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant (DCTAG) Program

In the fall of 2010, 2,503 District of Columbia residents who had graduated from high school
within the previous 12 months enrolled in Title IV-eligible two- or four-year degree-granting
IHEs as freshmen.32 That same year, 1,448 recent graduates from Washington, DC, high schools
received first-time DCTAG awards (see Table 4), meaning that approximately 58% of the recent
high school graduates from Washington, DC, who enrolled as freshmen at eligible IHEs in 2010
received DCTAG funds. This figure does not include those students who enrolled at ineligible
institutions or otherwise did not meet eligibility requirements. Therefore, the DCTAG program
does appear to assist a relatively large number of those students choosing to pursue a
postsecondary education at eligible IHEs shortly after graduating high school in financing their
postsecondary education.
Awards Versus High School Enrollment
According to data collected in the American Community Survey, during the period from 2009 to
2011, an average of approximately 85% of District of Columbia residents who were enrolled in
grades 9–12 attended public schools and 15% attended private schools.33 According to DCTAG
program data, from AY2008–2009 through AY2010–2011, approximately 67% of DCTAG
recipients had attended a DC public or charter high school, whereas approximately 31% had
attended private schools.34
Since its inception, DCTAG participation has increased, and the number of recent high school
graduate participants also has increased significantly; however, participation rates have leveled
off somewhat in recent years, as shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Number of First-Time DCTAG Recipients Who Recently Graduated High
School, by Academic Year
2000–
2001–
2002–
2003–
2004–
2005–
2006–
2007–
2008–
2009-
2010-
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Total
714
842
931 1,015
1,135
942
1,165
1,266
1,437
1,495
1,448 12,390
Source: DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Higher Education Financial Services, June 23, 2010
and December 4, 2012.
Notes: Recently graduated students are defined here as those who completed high school the academic year
immediately prior to enrolling in college.

32 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2011, Table
223, “Residence and Migration of All First-Time Degree/Certificate-Seeking Undergraduates in Degree-Granting
Institutions Who Graduated from High School in the Past 12 Months, by State or Jurisdiction: Fall 2010,”
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d11/tables/dt11_233.asp.
33 U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder, American Community Survey, School Enrollment by Level of School by
Type of School for the Population 3 Years and Over, 2009-2011, http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/
pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_3YR_C14002&prodType=table.
34 In the same timeframe, approximately 3% of DCTAG recipients attended public school outside of the District. These
recipients included Wards of Court and students whose parents shared custody. OSSE, DCTAG Accomplishments, p. 5.
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Grants by Ward
The District of Columbia is divided into eight subdivisions, or wards, each of which is home to
approximately 75,000 residents.35 Every ward is represented in the DC Council by an elected
councilmember, making wards discrete political units. Because household income, educational
attainment, and other social factors vary greatly among the wards, measures of social equity are
often calculated by ward.
OSSE data demonstrate how awards have been distributed across wards in the past several years.
Table 5 compares the average median family income and the percentage of DCTAG recipients
within each ward. The data seem to indicate that those wards with the lowest average median
family income (i.e., wards 4, 5, 7, and 8) have a higher percentage of DCTAG recipients than
those wards with the highest median family income (i.e., wards 1, 2, 3, and 6).
Table 5. Five-Year Average Median Family Income and DCTAG Awards, by Ward

Ward 1
Ward 2
Ward 3
Ward 4
Ward 5
Ward 6
Ward 7
Ward 8
Average
Median
Family
$81,321 $150,200 $177,127 $77,372 $61,570 $111,088 $46,918 $32,217
Income
2007-2011a
Share of
DCTAG
6.5% 4.0% 10.5% 21.3% 16.7% 8.4% 18.1% 14.1%
Awards
2008-2011
Source: CRS analysis based on data from OSSE, DCTAG Accomplishments, p. 6; U.S. Census Bureau, American
FactFinder, 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates, Selected Economic Characteristics,
Individual Reports for Wards 1-8, District of Columbia.
a. The median family income for each was determined by calculating the simple average of each year’s median
family income and adjusted for inflation.
Graduation Rates
The most recent OSSE data available show that the overall undergraduate graduation rate for
DCTAG recipients is 50%. However, the data also reveal that the six-year graduation rate36 for
DCTAG recipients is lower than the national average. For instance, for the 2003 cohort,
nationwide, 58% of students completed their bachelor’s degree within six years of enrollment,
whereas 48% of DCTAG recipients completed their bachelor’s degree within six years of
enrollment.

35 The District of Columbia Government, Indices: A Statistical Index to District of Columbia Services, December
2011, p. 70, http://dpr.dc.gov/DC/Planning/Planning%20Publication%20Files/OP/State%20Data%20Center/Reports/
Indices%202011/Chapter%202.pdf.
36 Six-year graduation rate is defined as those first-time, full-time students who began pursuing a bachelor’s degree at a
four-year institution and completed the bachelor’s degree within six years of the start date.
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Analysis of Grant Benefits
While there has been a substantial increase in the amount appropriated for the DCTAG program
from its inception (see Table 2), there has been no change to the maximum award size in
response to the trend of rising postsecondary education costs, which may be leaving many
program participants paying more per year for their education than in previous years or possibly
limiting their choices of which institution to attend. The extent to which DCTAG awards may be
covering a declining amount of the differential between in-state and out-of-state tuition is a
commonly raised concern about the DCTAG program. This section of the report examines the
extent to which the maximum award may be bridging the gap between in-state and out-of-state
tuition. It also examines growth in maximum awards as a share of all awards.
Public Institutions of Higher Education
Most DCTAG recipients choose to attend a public IHE,37 for which they can receive up to
$10,000 per year toward the difference between in- and out-of-state tuition. Even though the
number of DCTAG recipients on the whole has remained relatively stable, there has been a
noticeable increase in the number of $10,000 awards disbursed each year since 2004,38 as shown
in Table 6. The nationwide increase in tuition and fees may be contributing to this upturn in
maximum awards received;39 although, there may be other factors that impact this, such as
students’ choices to attend four-year IHEs rather than two-year IHEs.
Table 6. DCTAG Enrollment and Number of $10,000 Awards, by Academic Year
2004-
2005-
2006-
2007-
2008-
2009-
2010-
2011-

2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
DCTAG
4,759 4,631 4,452 4,580 4,686 5,070 5,101 5,258
Enrol ment
Number of
922 1,059 1,010 1,223 1,384 1,508 1,518 1,523
$10,000
awards
Percentage
19.4% 22.9% 22.7% 26.7% 29.5% 29.7% 29.8% 28.9%
of
participants
receiving
$10,000
awards
Source: Compiled using data from OSSE, DCTAG Accomplishments, pp. 4, 10, and data provided by the DC Office
of the State Superintendent of Higher Education, Higher Education Financial Services, January 22, 2013. The
AY2011-2012 data provided by DC OSSE are provisional, as most but not al participating schools have reported
data to DC OSSE.

37 See Figure 1.
38 DCTAG funds were not disbursed to students until AY2000-2001 and the program was still in the initial
implementation phase at that time, not necessarily operating at full capacity; therefore, the first few years of program
details may not be representative of the DCTAG program when fully operational and were not included in Table 6.
39 In this analysis, it is assumed that a $10,000 award is indicative of the in- and out-of-state tuition differential
exceeding $10,000.
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In AY2011-2012, 64% of those DCTAG recipients who received the maximum annual DCTAG
award of $10,000 enrolled at public four-year IHEs in Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, and Virginia (regional IHEs). Moreover, most of those students enrolled in a small
number of those regional IHEs. For instance, Figure 2 shows that of the 976 students who
received the maximum $10,000 DCTAG award and attended a regional IHE in AY2011-2012,
529 (54%) attended one of six schools: Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Bowie
State University; George Mason University; Norfolk State University; the University of
Maryland, College Park; and Virginia Commonwealth University; the other 447 (46%) students
who received the maximum award attended 56 other regional IHEs.40
Figure 2. AY2011-2012 Number of Maximum DCTAG Awards at Public Four-Year
IHEs, by Location
6 Most Popular
Regional IHEs
Non-
529 Awards
Regional
Regional IHEs
(54%)
IHEs
976 Awards
547 Awards
(64%)
(36%)
56 Other
Regional IHEs
447 Awards
(46%)

Source: Compiled using data provided by the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Higher Education,
Higher Education Financial Services, January 22, 2013.
The average in- and out-of-state tuition differential for these six most-attended regional IHEs was
$14,092; therefore, on average, a DCTAG recipient who attended one of these schools and who
received the maximum annual award would still be responsible for an average of $4,092 in out-
of-state tuition.41
To meet the program’s stated purpose of providing access to a greater range of postsecondary
educational options, Congress could consider increasing the maximum annual DCTAG award to
account for the in- and out-of-state tuition differential at popular regional public IHEs at which
many DCTAG recipients are receiving the maximum annual award; currently, a differential of
approximately $14,100 per year. Such a decision would likely be weighed in relation to
competing demands for resources. Alternatively, Congress could consider better matching

40 DC Office of the State Superintendent of Higher Education, Higher Education Financial Services, January 22, 2013.
The AY2011-2012 data used in this section, “Analysis of Grant Benefits” are provisional, as most but not all
participating IHEs have reported data to DC OSSE.
41 An analysis of popularly attended regional IHEs is provided because data allowing for a weighted average of the
differential faced by maximum award recipients across all IHEs are not readily available.
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individual students’ financial need to DCTAG funds awarded through means testing or by
lowering the current $1,000,000 income cap for participation.
Private Nonprofit Schools and Private HBCUs
Tuition and fees at private not-for-profit four-year IHEs also have grown considerably since
DCTAG was created, but the maximum annual award—$2,500—has not increased. Table 7
shows that, since AY2004-2005, the median tuition and fees42 for such institutions in the District
of Columbia has increased by 42.5%,43 while the percentage of DCTAG recipients enrolled in DC
area private not-for-profit four-year IHEs in each year has decreased slightly.
Table 7. DCTAG Participants Enrolled in and Median Full-Time Enrollment
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at District of Columbia Private Not-for-Profit Title
IV-Eligible Four-Year IHEs
Academic Year
Academic Year
Percentage

2004–2005
2011-2012 Difference Change
Tuition and Fees
$23,025
$32,800
$9,775
42.5%
DCTAG
469 489 20 4.3%
Participantsa
Share of DCTAG
9.9% 9.3% — —
Participants
Source: Compiled using the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data
System, January 15, 2013, http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/, and data provided by the DC Office of the State
Superintendent of Higher Education, Higher Education Financial Services, January 31, 2013.
a. The number of DCTAG participants presented in this table is based on available data and represents the
aggregate number of students enrolled ful -time and part-time.
Table 8 shows a similar but slightly more pronounced result for DCTAG participants choosing to
attend private not-for-profit four-year HBCUs. Since AY2004-2005, the median tuition and fees
at such institutions has increased by 34.6%, while the percentage of DCTAG recipients attending
has decreased by 10.8%.
Table 8. DCTAG Participants Enrolled in and Median Full-Time Enrollment
Undergraduate Tuition and Fees at Private Not-for-Profit Title IV-Eligible
Four-Year HBCUs
Academic
Year
Academic Year
Percentage
2004-2005a
2011–2012 Difference Change
Tuition and Fees
$9,816
$13,210
$3,394
34.6%
DCTAG Participantsb 581
566
-15
-2.3%
Share of DCTAG
12.2% 10.8% — —
Participants

42 The dollar amounts of tuition and fees in this analysis are not adjusted for inflation.
43 DCTAG funds are available for study at private Title IV-eligible IHEs only in the DC metropolitan area. DC
institutions alone have been selected to demonstrate the regional trend.
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Source: Compiled using the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data
System, January 15, 2013 , http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/, and data provided by the DC Office of the State
Superintendent of Higher Education, Higher Education Financial Services, January 31, 2013.
a. The District of Columbia Col ege Access Improvement Act of 2002, P.L. 107-157, which amended the
DCTAG program to provide awards to assist students with paying the tuition and fees for any private
HBCU nationwide, was passed in 2002; however, funds were retroactively disbursed to students attending
private HBCUs in AY2001-2002. Because the students likely did not know of the potential awards upon
choosing to attend a private HBCU in AY2001-2002, these figures were not included in this figure. Rather,
a later academic year in the program’s existence was chosen, as it is likely more representative of students’
school choices.
b. The number of DCTAG participants presented in this table is based on available data and represents the
aggregate number of students enrolled ful -time and part-time.
Although the increase in tuition and fees at DC private nonprofit IHEs and private HBCUs
nationwide may not have deterred DCTAG recipients from attending such schools, the unchanged
$2,500 award does not go as far as it did 10 years ago, thereby causing recipients to pay more
out-of-pocket costs than in years past.

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Appendix. Other Higher Education Support
Programs for District of Columbia Residents

In addition to federal student aid, there are several other programs that are available to residents
of Washington, DC:
• The District of Columbia College Access Program (DC CAP)44 is a nonprofit
organization that was founded in 1999 to “provide educational counseling and
financial assistance to DC public and charter high school students.” In
partnership with the District of Columbia Public School system (DCPS), District
of Columbia charter schools, and OSSE, DC CAP serves DC high school
students, primarily from low-income, minority, single-parent households, during
both high school and college through counseling, seminars, and preparatory
programs. In addition, the organization offers high school graduates need-based
Last Dollar Scholarships of up to $2,070 per student per year for up to five years
to cover unmet college expenses.
• DC Adoption45 provides scholarships to students who were adopted from the DC
Child & Family Services Agency after October 1, 2001, and students who lost
one or both parents as a result of the events of September 11, 2001. Students may
receive up to $10,000 toward the cost of postsecondary education per year for up
to six years.
• The Mayor’s Scholars Fund will provide need-based grants from the District of
Columbia that DC residents can apply toward the cost of attending a college or
university within the city. Grants will range from up to $3,000 at the University
of the District of Columbia (UDC) Community College, up to $7,000 at UDC,
and up to $10,000 at private institutions. Individuals who receive DCTAG
assistance are also eligible to receive Mayor’s Scholars Fund grants. The
program was first announced in October 2012 and will begin operating
in FY2013.46
• The District of Columbia Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership
Program (DC LEAP), which awarded grants to District of Columbia residents
with financial need, was recently defunded by Congress and is not being offered
in AY2012–2013.



44 DC CAP, Ten Year Report Card, 1999-2009, http://www.dccap.org/DC-CAP_10year_Report.pdf.
45 District of Columbia, State Education Office, Accomplishments Report 2000-2006, 2006, p. 22, http://osse.dc.gov/
sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/release_content/attachments/10850/AccomplishmentsReportSinglepages407.pdf.
46 DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, “Mayor Gray and OSSE Announce First-ever DC College
Fund,” press release, October 5, 2012, http://osse.dc.gov/release/mayor-gray-and-osse-announce-first-ever-dc-college-
fund.
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Author Contact Information

Alexandra Hegji

Analyst in Social Policy
adhegji@crs.loc.gov , 7-8384

Acknowledgments
Christopher S. Van Orden, former Presidential Management Fellow, was the original author of this report.

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