Many college students, especially students from low-income backgrounds, face significant structural barriers that make it challenging to persist and complete a degree or certificate. These barriers include substantial financial challenges. Student financial aid at the federal and state levels has not kept up with rising college costs, resulting in…

This study examined a sample of 2,475 undergraduate students to determine the influence of financial stress, debt loads, and financial counseling on retention rates. Results indicate, among other findings, that financial stress contributes to an increased likelihood of discontinuing college. Self-reported student loan debt contributes to an…

In this paper, the author argues that a combination of short- and longer-run economic and political forces pose a threat to the well-being of the nation's doctoral programs. After briefly touching on the impact of current economic problems on doctoral education at private universities, he then discusses the growing pressure on academia to expand…

This inaugural report describes the self-reported attitudes and motivations of students nationally during the first term of their second year of college. Based on a 78-item motivational assessment administered to students in the 2010 fall term, the report highlights the educational experiences of second-year students as they transition from their…