About

Justin C. Ortagus is an Associate Professor of Higher Education Administration & Policy and Director of the Institute of Higher Education. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Florida, Dr. Ortagus obtained his Ph.D. in Higher Education from Pennsylvania State University. His research typically examines the impact of online education, community colleges, and state policies on the opportunities and outcomes of underserved students. His recent work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation and published in such venues as Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, the Journal of Higher Education, and Research in Higher Education.

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 (2015)M.Ed., Educational Leadership - University of Florida (2011)B.A., English - University of Florida (2007)

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Articles

• 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., Kelchen, R., Baker, D., Ortagus, J., & Lingo, M. (2022). State Higher Education Funding During COVID-19: Lessons from Prior Recessions and Implications for Equity. AERA Open.
• Rosinger, K., Ortagus, J., Kelchen, R., Cassell, A., & Brown, L. (2022). 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.
• Hu, X., & Ortagus, J. (2022). National Evidence of the Impact of Dual Enrollment on Student Loan Debt. Educational Policy.
• Hu, X., Ortagus, J., Voorhees, N., Rosinger, K., & Kelchen, R. (2022). Disparate Impacts of Performance Funding Research Incentives on Research Expenditures and State Appropriations. AERA Open.
• Ortagus, J., Hughes, R., & Voorhees, N. (2022). To Supplement or Supplant: The Relationship between IT Funding and Higher Education Personnel. Journal of Education Finance.
• Ortagus, J., & Kramer II, D. (2021). The Impact of No-Loan Program Participation on the Likelihood of Graduate Enrollment among Low-Income, First-Generation Students. Education Finance and Policy.
• Ortagus, J., Tanner, M., & McFarlin, I. (2021). Can Re-Enrollment Campaigns Help Dropouts Return to College? Evidence from Florida Community Colleges. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
• Kramer II, D., & Ortagus, J., & Donovan, J. (2021). Competing for Bachelor’s Degrees: Are Community Colleges Cutting into the Market Share of Four-Year Institutions? American Educational Research Journal.
• Ortagus, J., Kelchen, R., Rosinger, K., & Voorhees, N. (2020). Performance-Based Funding in American Higher Education: A Systematic Synthesis of the Intended and Unintended Consequences. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
• Ortagus, J., & Hu, X. (2020). A National Study of the Financial Implications of Community College Baccalaureate Adoption. Journal of Higher Education.
• Ortagus, J., Yang, L., Voorhees, N., & Riggs, S. (2020). Revenue Reconsidered: The Relationship between Government Appropriations and Online Enrollment at Community Colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice.
• Ortagus, J., & Hu, X. (2019). The Price of Mission Complexity: A National Study of the Impact of Community College Baccalaureate Adoption on Tuition and Fees. Educational Researcher.
• Kelchen, R., Rosinger, K., & Ortagus, J. (2019). How to Create and Use State-Level Policy Datasets in Education Research. AERA Open.
• Li, A., & Ortagus, J. (2019). Raising the Stakes: Impacts of the Complete College Tennessee Act on Underserved Student Enrollment and Sub-Baccalaureate Credentials. The Review of Higher Education.
• Ortagus, J., Kramer II, D., González Canché, M., & Fernandez, F. (2019). The Impact of Community College Baccalaureate Adoption on Associate Degree Production. Teachers College Record.
• Ortagus, J., & Hu, X. (2019). Does the Community College Pathway Impact the Selectivity of Students’ Destination Four-Year Institution? Community College Review.
• Ortagus, J., & Derreth, R.T. (2019). “Like Having a Tiger by the Tail”: A Qualitative Analysis of the Provision of Online Education in Higher Education. Teachers College Record.
• Hu, X., & Ortagus, J. (2019). A National Study of the Influence of the Community College Pathway on Female Students’ STEM Baccalaureate Success. Community College Review.
• Ortagus, J. (2018). National Evidence of the Impact of First-Year Online Enrollment on Postsecondary Students’ Long-Term Academic Outcomes. Research in Higher Education.
• Ortagus, J., & Tanner, M. (2018). Going to College without Going to Campus: A Case Study of Online Student Recruitment. Innovative Higher Education.
• Ortagus, J., & Yang, L. (2018). An Examination of the Influence of Decreases in State Appropriations on Online Enrollment at Public Universities. Research in Higher Education.
• Ortagus, J., Kramer II, D., & Umbricht, M. (2018). Exploring the IT Productivity Paradox in Higher Education: The Influence of IT Funding on Institutional Productivity. The Journal of Higher Education. Kramer II, D., Ortagus, J., & Lacy, A. (2018). Tuition-Setting Authority and Broad-Based Merit Aid: The Effect of Policy Intersection on Pricing Strategies. Research in Higher Education.
• Hu, X., Ortagus, J., & Kramer II, D. (2018). The Community College Pathway: An Analysis of the Costs Associated with Enrolling Initially at a Community College Before Transferring to a Four-Year Institution. Higher Education Policy.
• Ortagus, J. (2017). From the Periphery to Prominence: An Examination of the Changing Profile of Postsecondary Online Students. The Internet and Higher Education.
• Umbricht, M., Fernandez, F., & Ortagus, J. (2017). An Examination of the (Un)Intended Consequences of Performance Funding in Higher Education. Educational Policy.

Selected Links

• Personal Website
• InformEd States