While college costs have risen significantly in the past few decades, some of those cost increases can be partially mitigated by financial aid for low-income families. But many low- and moderate-income families vastly overestimate the cost of college, leading them to assume that enrolling their children in college, particularly a four-year school,…

Many states are passing "free" college plans, and policymakers at both the state and federal level continue to debate the merits of national "free college" or "debt-free college" proposals, also known as Promise programs. Both federal and state "free" college proposals are geared toward a policy objective of…

A seminar convened by the Policy Analysis Service brought together state and federal student aid officials, representatives of higher education associations, and analyst-researchers to address a number of issues related to the impact of the federal Basic Educational Opportunity Grant program on the states. Formal presentations included a…

A study of loan availability in Michigan through the federal Guaranteed Student Loan Program outlines the evolution of federal lending programs for college students and describes program characteristics, funds, costs, defaults, and funding systems. The situation for borrowers and lenders in the state and its regions is examined, including…