One of the original purposes of student financial aid was to ensure fairer access to post-secondary education to those least able to afford it and to those traditionally underrepresented. Various federal and state programs were put in place to achieve this goal, including the federal Pell Grant and state aid programs. Yet policymakers and…

This report describes findings of a study concerned with identifying environments of support to increase the participation and success of African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics, and U.S.-born Asian Americans in doctoral programs. The project found that supportive environments include: (1) aggressive and targeted recruitment efforts; (2)…