There is little disagreement that the more courses students take each semester, the more likely they are to graduate on time, but much debate has centered on how to encourage students in that direction.
In California, the Legislature's recently passed budget is offering one of the largest incentives seen across the country. Qualified community college students can receive a grant of up to $4,000 a year if they take 15 units or more.
The new program, known as the Student Success Completion Grant, is an expansion of two existing programs, which awarded qualified students $1,000 a year for enrolling in 12 or more credits each semester and $2,000 a year if they took more than 15 credits each semester.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/08/01/more-states-experiment-incentivizing-completion