This article compares state expenditure data to see how the operating budgets of public community colleges specifically, and public higher education institutions generally, have fared over the past 30 years. Data from the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) have long tracked major state expenditure categories, including the…

The federal Pell Grant was designed to help low-income students pay for college. But over the past two decades, a growing share of middle-income students have become eligible for the program. This was not policymakers' explicit goal. This report examines how the program came to increasingly provide students from middle-income families with grants,…

In 2004 and 2005, the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education (Pell Institute), sponsored by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), published two editions of "Indicators of Opportunity in Higher Education." In 2015, the commitment to documenting trends in higher education equity was renewed by publishing…

This report, the seventh in this series, brings together again in partnership the Pell Institute with the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania (PennAHEAD). These reports draw from multiple sources of existing data to provide, in one place, indicators that describe trends in equity in postsecondary…

The federal government devotes roughly one-sixth of its spending to 10 major means-tested programs and tax credits, which provide cash payments or assistance in obtaining health care, food, housing, or education to people with relatively low income or few assets. Those programs and credits consist of the following: (1) Medicaid; (2) the low-income…

The Federal Pell Grant Program is the nation's largest need-based grant program. While students' initial eligibility for the Pell is based on financial need, renewal of the award is contingent on their making satisfactory academic progress (SAP)--meeting minimum academic standards similar to those proposed in models of performance-based…

This report describes the Department of Education's process for estimating costs of the Pell grant program, which provides grants to financially needy students pursuing a postsecondary education. The Department uses a three-step process to develop its Pell grant budget estimate: a computer cost model incorporating over 30 economic indicators, a…

A new law lowered the 1992 earnings cap that made it difficult for college students to qualify for Pell Grants, the largest federal source of need-based student financial aid. The measure also raises the Pell Grant maximum award, increases the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget, and makes other changes in the law. Details of l998 budget…

Federal, state, and institutional student financial aid expenditures are tabulated by individual program in both constant and non-inflation-adjusted dollars for the years 1980-81 through 1987-88, with percent changes since 1980-81 noted. Individual recipient averages in major programs are also presented. (MSE)

This report examines the changes that occurred in college student financial aid between 1986-87 and 1989-90 by comparing students receiving various forms of aid in the fall of 1986 with those receiving aid in the fall of 1989. The data used were derived from the 1987 and 1990 National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies (NPSAS). The overall focus of…

A status report for the Pell Grant Program (formerly called Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program) for the 1982-1983 academic year is presented. Included are a description of highlights of the program for 1981-1982, program trends for 1973-1974 through 1982-1983, and summary tables for 1982-1983 on characteristics of Pell Grant recipients.…

A status report for the Pell Grant Program (formerly called Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program) for the 1983-1984 academic year is presented. Included are a description of highlights of the program for 1981-1982, program trends for 1973-1974 through 1983-1984, and summary tables for 1982-1983 on characteristics of Pell Grant recipients.…

This report provides recent statistics on trends in student aid in the 1980s and 1990s for the federal government, state governments, and educational institutions. The analysis also reports on changes in the costs of attending college and in family incomes in order to provide a context for assessing whether college is becoming more or less…

Tables, graphs, and text summarize the most recent statistics available on financial aid available to students in postsecondary education including virtually all federal aid and the vast majority of state and institutional assistance. It revises earlier 1990s data and provides estimates for the academic year 1995-96. Study highlights include: (1)…

This report provides statistics on college student aid in the 1980s and 1990s based on a data series begun by the College Board over 10 years ago. The data represent virtually all federal aid and most state and institutional assistance available to students in postsecondary education. The report also uses data on changes in the cost of attending…