The financial challenges facing college students in the U.S. are daunting. The majority of these students are incurring substantial debt during their studies. For many this likely debt level is sufficient to cause them to forgo college, while for others it leads them to drop out before completing a degree. This financial strain places a premium on…

Austin Community College's (ACC) Student Money Management Office conducted a text messaging scavenger hunt to engage ACC students in financial-aid-related education and programming, including when to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and how to ensure Satisfactory Academic Progress. Results demonstrated that 268 students began…

Community colleges have maintained a mission and commitment to open access. Likewise, Federal Pell Grants have historically served as a primary means for low income populations to afford higher education. Thus, community college students and Federal Pell Grants are important parts of the American higher education landscape and a mode of social and…

Since the beginning of the Great Recession, many community colleges have experienced significant declines in state revenue, increases in enrollment, higher tuition, and flat or declining state student aid. These conditions have also occurred in an environment of heightened accountability with pressure to advance a student success agenda and to…

The Houston Community College Mobile Go Center brings college enrollment assistance to the doorstep of our community. It operates in a variety of settings, offering college-going material and person-to-person assistance at numerous city events. Services include assistance with academic advising, completing the FAFSA, college application process,…

Discusses federal student financial aid, focusing on direct grant aid programs that serve needy students attending community colleges. Presents recent data showing that lower-income students attending community colleges are likely to receive less direct grant aid than those attending for-profit proprietary two-year institutions. (Contains 26…

Describes the outcome of a National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS), which found that two-year students were 0.18% less likely to persist for each $100 increase in tuition, more likely to persist if they received subsidies, and 15.96% more likely to persist for every $1,000 in student loan debt outstanding. (Contains 68 references.) (PGS)

Discusses the Rising Star Scholarship program of the Dallas County (Texas) Community College District (DCCCD), an approach to financial aid that states that every high school graduate should have the opportunity to attend college regardless of financial means. Describes the program as a unique way of fundraising within the business community. (ND)

Discusses the origins of California's community colleges and some major developments in their mission and functions, such as transfer programs and open enrollment; organization and structure, including governance and administrative structures; faculty and professional qualifications; and funding, fee policies, and student financial-aid…

An extensive review of the literature and a campus-based study found high levels of stress resulting from parenting, financial, age and health concerns for adult women students enrolled at community colleges. Presents recommendations and suggestions to help: day care, orientation, academic and financial aid advising, peer advisers, healthy…