Justin C. Ortagus
Associate Professor, Higher Education Administration & Policy; Director, Institute of Higher Education
Phone
352-273-4338
Address
2705D Norman Hall
PO Box 117049
Gainesville, FL 32611
Connect
About
Justin C. Ortagus is an Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration & Policy and Director of the Institute of Higher Education. His research typically examines the impact of online education, community colleges, and state policies on the opportunities and outcomes of underserved college students. His recent work has secured over $10 million in external funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, National Science Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Florida Department of Education, the Helios Education Foundation, and additional funders. He has also published in such venues as Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, the American Educational Research Journal, and Educational Researcher. Dr. Ortagus has testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor on the role and influence of need-based financial aid for low-income students. His work and expertise have also been featured in USA Today, NBC News, Forbes, Teen Vogue, CNBC, and other news media outlets.
Affiliations
- School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education
- Education Policy Research Center
Research Interests
Community College, Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Design and Analysis, Higher Education, Higher Education Policy, Online and Distance Education, Quantitative Research
Education
- Ph.D., Higher Education - Pennsylvania State University
- M.Ed., Educational Leadership - University of Florida
- B.A., English - University of Florida
Activities and Honors
- 2024-2025 Irving and Rose Fien Endowed Professorship
Selected Grants
A Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve College Re-Enrollment & Completion for Stopped-Out Students
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- Institute of Education Sciences
Project Period
- 2024-2029
Award Amount
- $3,647,082
The Effects of Completing College-Level Courses in High School on Postsecondary Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Institute of Education Sciences
Project Period
- 2024-2027
Award Amount
- $722,951
The Effectiveness of State Postsecondary Funding Approaches
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Project Period
- 2024-2026
Award Amount
- $527,420
HSI Pilot Project: Enhancing STEM Participation and Attainment at a Rural, Hispanic-Serving Institution
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- National Science Foundation
Project Period
- 2024-2026
Award Amount
- $299,999
Using First-Dollar Course Waivers to Increase Community College Re-Enrollment and Completion
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Helios Education Foundation
Project Period
- 2024-2027
Award Amount
- $400,000
The Role and Impact of Stackable Credentials on College Students’ Labor Market Outcomes
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Florida Department of Education
Project Period
- 2023 – 2025
Award Amount
- $199,534
Examining the Most Recent PBF Data to Consider the Impact of Updated PBF Policy Designs on ROI
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Arnold Ventures
Project Period
- 2023 – 2025
Award Amount
- $346,320
Equity and Effectiveness in State Funding Formulas
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- Lumina Foundation
Project Period
- 2023 – 2025
Award Amount
- $250,000
HBCU Enrollment and Longer-Term Outcomes
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- Washington Center for Equitable Growth and the Russell Sage Foundation
Project Period
- 2023-2024
Award Amount
- $67,273
The Landscape of Local Funding Sources for Community Colleges
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Project Period
- 2022-2024
Award Amount
- $400,000
Democratizing High-Quality Course Sequence Knowledge
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Project Period
- 2022-2024
Award Amount
- $509,824
The Return on Investment of College Attendance for Black Students in Florida
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Helios Education Foundation
Project Period
- 2022-2023
Award Amount
- $265,000
Experimental Analysis of an Academic Coaching Intervention for Online Student Success,
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Project Period
- 2022-2024
Award Amount
- $298,136
An Evaluation of the Elevation Scholars Program
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Helios Education Foundation
Project Period
- 2022-2023
Award Amount
- $55,000
The Role and Influence of Online Degree Programs in Higher Education
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Project Period
- 2021-2022
Award Amount
- $87,458
iConnect: Improving Access and Success for Underserved Students in Information Technology Programs Through Education-Industry Connections
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- National Science Foundation
Project Period
- 2020 - 2023
Award Amount
- $600,000
An Examination of the Enrollment and Persistence Outcomes of the Florida College Student Re-Enrollment Demonstration
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Helios Education Foundation
Project Period
- 2020 - 2021
Award Amount
- $115,000
Building New Evidence for Designing Performance-Based Funding Policies to Reduce Inequality
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- William T. Grant Foundation
Project Period
- 2020 - 2021
Award Amount
- $25,000
National Evidence of Enrollment Shifts and Labor Market Outcomes Following the Great Recession
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Project Period
- 2020
Award Amount
- $36,968
The Effects of Variations in Performance-Based Funding Policies on Student Access, Success, and Labor Market Outcomes
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Laura and John Arnold Foundation/Joyce Foundation
Project Period
- 2019 - 2021
Award Amount
- $373,590
Examining the Impact of Variations in Performance-Based Funding Policies on Reducing Inequality in Student Outcomes
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- William T. Grant Foundation
Project Period
- 2019 - 2020
Award Amount
- $204,528
Guided Pathways for Student Success at Access-Oriented Four-Year Institutions
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Project Period
- 2018-2019
Award Amount
- $355,997
Florida College Student Re-Enrollment Demonstration: An Experimental Analysis
Role
- PI
Funding Agency
- Helios Education Foundation
Project Period
- 2017-2019
Award Amount
- $300,000
Examining the Impact of Need-Based Aid Programs on the Graduate and Professional School Enrollment of Low-Income and First-Generation Students
Role
- Co-PI
Funding Agency
- AccessLex Institute and the Association for Institutional Research
Project Period
- 2016-2017
Award Amount
- $46,976
Selected Publications
Articles
- Ortagus, J., Allchin, H., Skinner, B., Tanner, M., & McFarlin, I. (2024). Experimental Evidence of the Impact of Re-Enrollment Campaigns on Long-Term Academic Outcomes. Education Finance and Policy.
- Edwards, A., Ortagus, J., Smith, J., & Smythe, A. (2024). Historically Black College and University Enrollment and Longer-Term Outcomes. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy.
- Ortagus, J., Tyler, O., & Dirghalli, J. (2024). Navigating Course-Sequencing Decisions and Community College Pathways for Historically Underserved Student Populations. Journal of Higher Education.
- Ortagus, J., Baker, D., Rosinger, K., Kelchen, R., Morales, O., Peters, A., & Lingo, M. (2024). The Revenue Implications of Community Colleges’ Reliance on Local Funding. AERA Open.
- Ortagus, J., Hughes, R., & Allchin, H. (2024). The Role and Influence of Exclusively Online Degree Programs in Higher Education. American Educational Research Journal.
- Kelchen, R., Ortagus, J., Rosinger, K., Baker, D., & Lingo, M. (2023). Relationships between State Higher Education Funding Strategies and Student Outcomes. Educational Researcher.
- Kelchen, R., Lingo, M., Rosinger, K., Baker, D., Ortagus, J., & Wu, J. (2023). A Typology and Landscape of State Funding Formulas for Public Colleges and Universities from 2004 to 2021. The Review of Higher Education.
- Ortagus, J. (2023). The Relationship Between Varying Levels of Online Enrollment and Degree Completion. Educational Researcher.
- Rosinger, K., Ortagus, J., Kelchen, R., & Choi, J. (2023). The Impact of Performance Funding Policy Design on College Access and Selectivity. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
- Ortagus, J., Rosinger, K., Kelchen, R., Voorhees, N., Chu, G., & Allchin, H. (2023). A National Analysis of the Impact of Performance-Based Funding on Completion Outcomes Among Underserved Students. The Review of Higher Education.
- Edwards, A., Ortagus, J., Smith, J., & Smythe, A. (2023). Applicants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings.
- Kelchen, R., Ortagus, J., Rosinger, K., & Cassell, A. (2023). Investing in the Workforce: The Impact of Performance-Based Funding on College Student Earnings. Journal of Higher Education.
- Ortagus, J., Kelchen, R., Rosinger, K., Chu, G., & Lingo, M. (2022). The Unequal Impacts of Performance-Based Funding on Institutional Resources in Higher Education. Research in Higher Education.
- Kelchen, R., Ortagus, J., Rosinger, K., & Cassell, A. (2022). The Effects of Performance-Based Funding Policies on Student Loan Debt. Economics of Education Review.
- Voorhees, N, Ortagus, J., & Marti, E. (2022). Give It a Swirl? An Examination of the Influence of Four-Year Students Taking Entry-Level Math Courses at the Local Community College. Research in Higher Education.
- Rosinger, K., Ortagus, J., Kelchen, R., Cassell, A., & Brown, L. (2022). New Evidence on the Evolution and Landscape of Performance Funding for Higher Education. Journal of Higher Education.
- Ortagus, J., Skinner, B., & Tanner, M. (2022). Investigating Why Academically Successful Community College Students Leave College without a Degree. AERA Open.