Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Major Professor

Amber Dumford, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Vonzell Agosto, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Waynne James, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Chantae Still-Ciceron, Ph.D.

Keywords

Borrowing outcomes, Equity-oriented funding, Minority-serving campuses, Public college finance, Racialized organizational theory, Resource stratification

Abstract

Federal student loan patterns in Florida’s State University System (SUS) from 2013/14 to 2022/23 reflect differences in institutional revenue capacity rather than individual borrowing behavior. Using data from all 12 SUS institutions, this study examined how institutional wealth and revenue composition shape student loan outcomes through both race neutral and race considerate analyses informed by Ray’s (2019) theory of racialized organizations. Overall, the SUS operates as a racialized organizational field in which inequities in funding flows, access to capital, and institutional logics sustain long term disparities in wealth and debt. Results show that borrowing levels closely track how institutions assemble and deploy state, federal, and private revenues, producing distinct patterns across PWIs, HSIs, and FAMU—the SUS’ only HBCU. Race neutral trends suggest stable average loan amounts and declining borrowing rates overall, but race considerate analyses reveal significant institutional divergence. PWIs achieved the largest drop in borrowing participation due to endowment strength and diversified private funding. HSIs maintained stable borrowing through enrollment scale and tuition restraint but lacked the deep wealth reserves of elite PWIs. FAMU, historically underfunded and reliant on state and federal appropriations, continued to show high borrowing rates due to limited donor, private, and investment capital. FAMU’s recent improvements demonstrate that targeted public investment can mitigate structural deficits, supporting Ray’s (2019) argument that racialized organizational outcomes are politically malleable. In Florida’s restrictive DEI policy environment, advancing equitable affordability will require race neutral but resource targeted financing strategies that address institutional revenue disparities rather than individual behaviors.

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