This session will focus on one of the main issues that all post secondary institutions face - how to utilize scholarships and other financial incentives to increase applications for new students and enrolment numbers for current students. It will examine whether using financial incentives is successful for the purposes of improved academic performance, recruitment, and retention. The discussions will be based on three Canadian studies:

1. Future to Discover - trying to understand whether a promise of financial incentives can encourage students who might not normally decide to pursue post-secondary education (PSE), to complete high school and go on to PSE.
2. Foundations for Success - aims to test a combination of academic support, career education, mentoring, and financial incentives increases the likelihood that students deemed at-risk of dropping out of post secondary will persist and ultimately successfully complete their studies.
3. Opportunity Knocks - looks at the potential for merit-based scholarships to provide both additional financial support and motivation for improved academic performance.