In response to rising college tuition and student debt over the past three decades, some institutions, localities, and states have implemented a range of tuition-free promise programs to promote college access and success. Programs vary widely in their design features, including eligibility stipulations and award structure. I explore the growing…

This paper examines how colleges respond to the introduction of broad merit aid programs. Previous research has emphasized the impact of merit aid on enrollment, student choices, and post-matriculation outcomes. Yet much less is known about how state-implemented merit aid programs affect colleges' financial decisions. To explore impacts, college…

This report evaluates the Teacher Education Loan Program in Ohio based on an analysis of survey responses of 57 recipients and 47 non-recipients of these loans in 1990-91. Data were also obtained from administrators of the program and publications and statistics provided by the program. Questions asked were intended to discover the program's…

Creative ideas recently emerging to help families cope with rising educational costs are reviewed, including state and federal level savings plans, alternative loan programs, guaranteed access plans, and public service proposals. (Author/MSE)

This paper analyzes three higher education grant programs in South Dakota: the Indian Education Grant; the Student Incentive Grant (SIG); and the Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG). The Indian Education Grant was created in 1949 by the legislature to provide 30 higher education scholarships for Indians. Since its inception, the Indian Education…

This background paper on institutional lending examines institutional lender policy in the Stafford Student Loan Program, the study of which was mandated in the 1986 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The paper's particular purpose, however, is to familiarize the reader with the general operation of programs and the historical…

Student financial aid programs have become significant elements in governmental aid to postsecondary education. The effect of the regulations stemming from the Education Amendments of 1976 and succeeding regulations will serve to increase an already heavy administrative burden in institutional management of student financial aid programs. (MLW)

This volume analyzes government policies for helping students pay for education beyond high school and was developed as a result of an October 1994 gathering of policymakers, analysts, and practitioners convened to review federal student assistance and to consider policy alternatives for the Clinton Administration. Chapter 1, "A Fifty-Year…

This monograph describes and analyzes major federal and state student financial assistance programs. Chief among those reviewed are the Basic and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, National Direct Student Loans, State Student Incentive Grants, the Guaranteed Student Loans, College Work Study, and the G.I. Bill. The paper explains how…

This publication presents the findings of a commission that evaluated the current division of responsibilities for financing postsecondary education and makes recommendations for restructuring national policy in this area. Following an executive summary in section I, section II analyzes the policy concerns of college cost, accessibility, and…

This document identifies and describes the sources of public support for postsecondary vocational training in the United States, including the mix of public assistance that is currently available to economically disadvantaged individuals. Following an introduction, the second section is an overview of the general financing situation. Tables report…

This paper reviews and critiques empirical evidence concerning knowledge gaps and misconceptions among secondary school students, parents/guardians, and educators about postsecondary education and student financial assistance opportunities and prerequisites, in particular, how Michigan's middle school based Project Awareness may affect student…