There is steadily growing consensus around a critical issue in our nation's higher education system: the need to modernize our postsecondary data infrastructure. Recognizing that building the Student-Level Data Network (SLDN) outlined in pending federal legislation will require the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to make key…

Launched in 1965, Upward Bound (UB) is one of the oldest and largest of the federal college access programs targeted to low-income students and those who would represent the first-generation of college completers in their families. Currently, UB serves more than 60,000 high school students at a cost of about $4,300 per youth and offers an array of…

This Annual Plan presents the major initiatives and priorities the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's taxpayers and students. The Department continues to face significant challenges in FY 2017 that impact its…

This Annual Plan presents the major initiatives and priorities the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's taxpayers and students. The Department continues to face significant challenges in FY 2016 that impact its…

This Annual Plan presents the major initiatives and priorities the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's taxpayers and students. The Department continues to face significant challenges in FY 2015 that impact its…

This Annual Plan presents the major initiatives and priorities the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's taxpayers and students. The Department continues to face a significant number of challenges in FY 2014 that…

This Annual Plan presents the major initiatives and priorities the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's taxpayers and students. The Department continues to face a significant number of challenges in FY 2013 that…

A growing body of empirical evidence shows that some financial aid programs increase college enrollment. Puzzlingly, there is little compelling evidence that Pell Grants and Stafford Loans, the primary federal student aid programs, are effective in achieving this goal. In this paper, we provide an in-depth review of this evidence, which taken as a…

This summary report is one of a series addressing major policy, management, or program issues facing Congress and the administration. The issues identified in this report indicate the need to: reduce the cost and preserve the integrity of higher education student loan and grant programs; enhance the federal role in monitoring lenders, agencies,…

The House Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations met to hear testimony from leaders in government and higher education on managing the federal direct student loan program. Focus was on the Department of Education's plans to correct existing management problems of the Guaranteed Student Loan Program and implement the…

This survey comprised of two volumes of the first year of implementation of the Federal Direct Loan Program among institutions of the first cohort was designed to assess institutions' experiences in transition to the new program and their satisfaction with the program overall. Results included: (1) the overall level of schools' satisfaction with…

A study investigated the implementation costs of direct lending in 77 diverse colleges and universities, including both increases and decreases in institutional expenditures. Results indicate that start-up costs varied greatly, that the institution's loan volume was related to the cost and savings experienced, and that costs and savings were…

New York University began selective participation in and evaluation of the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSLP) during the 1995-96 academic year. A study evaluated and compared the effects of the FDSLP and the existing Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFLEP) on students, families, and campus administrators. Surveys were sent to 1609…

This evaluation study developed 29 recommendations concerning the implementation of direct loans in providing financial assistance to postsecondary school students. The investigation included examination of a current Department of Education (ED) pilot program, a video teleconference to discuss direct lending with 23 individuals in education…

This publication discusses areas of concern in the Department of Education's management and oversight of postsecondary student financial aid programs, especially the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSLP), and the Federal Pell Grant Programs. The General Accounting Office determined that, in…