College promise programs can be found in every state in the country, though they vary widely in design. Most programs aim to reduce the tuition and fees students pay with the goal of increasing educational attainment and reducing the financial burden on students. The NC Promise policy functions in this space by reducing tuition for all students…

Federal financial aid policies for higher education may be classified based on their "for-purchase" and "post-purchase" natures. The former include grants, loans, and workstudy and intend to help students finance or afford college attendance, persistence, and graduation. Post-purchase policies are designed to minimize financial…

With enrollments rising in recent years, more than half of all graduate level students in US institutions take on educational loans. Using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), this study examined educational debt for graduate and professional students in 2000 and 2016 and explored whether significant predictors of debt…

In recent decades, several dozen colleges and universities have instituted loan-reduction initiatives (LRIs), such as "no-loan" programs. Institutions frequently cast such initiatives as efforts to increase socioeconomic diversity on campus. Using a difference-in-differences analytic strategy with national institution-level data, we…

Using data from two freshmen cohorts at a public research university (N = 3730), this study examines the relationship between loan aid and second-year enrollment persistence. Applying a counterfactual analytical framework that relies on propensity score (PS) weighting and matching to address selection bias associated with treatment status, the…

While the literature on postsecondary student success identifies important academic and social factors associated with student outcomes, one question that persists concerns the influence of financial aid. We use the National Student Clearinghouse's StudentTracker service to develop a more complete model of student success that accommodates…

LISREL (Linear Structural Relations) was employed to account for 42 percent of the variance in the persistence of 343 new freshmen financial aid recipients at a major urban university. Results indicate that financial need, student residency status, and noncampus-based loans and grants have direct effects on persistence.

This study informs public policies regarding the use of subsidized loans as financial aid for community college students. Using logistic regression, it analyzes the National Center for Education Statistics' Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS 90/94) data to predict persistence to the second year of college and associate's degree attainment over…

The existence of sex discrimination in financial aid awards in 40 midwestern colleges and universities was examined. The results indicated no significant differences for either sex or type of institution comparison, although there was extensive variability in the amounts awarded. (Author/LBH)

This study analyzed the impact of specific types of financial aid on students' college choice, with particular focus on racial differences. For overall student populations, the receipt of grants or a combination of grants with loans had a positive impact on attending first choice institutions. In contrast, having loans only had no significant…

The aggregate financing of student aid by the federal government, state governments, and institutions over the past 25 years is discussed. Trends in the composition of aid delivered (grants, loans, and work study) are described. Over time comparisons in the numbers of recipients and aid per recipient are given by programs. (Author/MLW)

This empirical study examined postsecondary-student attitudes and preferences regarding five discrete student loan plans and loan plan features. Questions addressed dealth with debt ceilings, loan repayment time span and percentage of annual income, and alteration of repayment plan choices. A random sample of 218 federal aid recipients was used.…

A study analyzed demographic, socioeconomic, and financial factors in enrollment behavior of accepted applicants to Iona College (New York). Financial aid had a positive impact on enrollment decisions (excepting upper-income applicants): for every $1,000 increase offered, probability of enrollment increased 1.1 to 2.5%. Work-study was not…

A study attempted to identify the college types that benefit most from federal student aid by examining how institutional quality, institutional mission, and average student costs of attendance covaried with students' average grant, loan, and work-study aid awards in 254 4-year public and 499 4-year private colleges and universities. (Author/MSE)

The relationship between aid received and activities pursued after college (attending graduate school, career choice, forming a family, and forming personal values) was examined. Results imply that the self-help forms of aid (loans and work) are not detrimental to the future plans of recipients. (Author/LB)