Since 2005, free college programs, also known as promise programs, have expanded as a popular form of financial aid to address college affordability and access. Promise programs are a form of financial aid that cover tuition and fees for students to attend college. Over the last several decades, these programs have proliferated, with more than 400 currently operating at the state and local levels.

This multiple case study of seven community colleges with localized promise programs that offered student support services features interviews with 32 student-facing practitioners, including six current, former, or interim promise program directors, about student financial needs and program resources, and 43 analyzed documents. It found that, according to practitioners, basic needs such as housing and food insecurity were the most frequently experienced financial challenge among promise students. Practitioners counseled students to avoid student loans, identified a need for greater financial literacy, and recognized the varying stability and generosity of revenue sources for promise programs.