In 2011 the U.S. Department of Education tightened the credit standards for Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). Concerned about the possible effects of this change on historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic's Historically Black Colleges and Universities College Completion…

Indiana, Oklahoma, and Washington each have programs designed to address college enrollment gaps by offering a promise of state-based college financial aid to low-income middle school students in exchange for making a pledge to do well in high school, be a good citizen, not be convicted of a felony, and apply for financial aid to college. Using a…

While completion of a college credential is a critical step toward increasing one's viability in today's labor market, only about 40 percent of Americans earn an associate's or bachelor's degree by age 27. Many policymakers, education leaders, and philanthropic organizations have focused on improving graduation rates. In 2011, the Kresge…

Online learning continues to grow at post-secondary institutions across the United States, but many question its efficacy, especially for students most at-risk for failure. This paper engages that issue. It examines recent research on the success of community college students who take online classes and explores similar comparisons using 656,258…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, focusing on ensuring college affordability. Following an opening statement by Honorable Lamar Alexander (Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions), the following senators provide statements: (1) Honorable…

Students who do not file the free application for federal student aid (FAFSA), or who file after the priority application deadline, are at risk of not receiving grant aid that could help them persist and graduate from college. This study used data from the beginning postsecondary student study (BPS:04/06) to examine FAFSA filing behavior (i.e.…

The first two years of the Obama administration brought nothing but good news for student financial aid programs. These included increases to grants, tax benefits, and funding for community colleges and minority-serving schools. But in early 2011, President Obama and Congress released the new budget with a request that would achieve large savings…

Legislation introduced in 2015, including Senate Bill 806, sought to amend the "Code of Virginia" regarding fixed four-year tuition and other costs. Eventually, Senate Bill 1183 was incorporated into Senate Bill 806; the substitute amendment directed the board of visitors of each four-year public institution with an in-state…

Socioeconomic gaps in college enrollment and attainment have widened over time, despite increasing returns to postsecondary education and significant policy efforts to improve access. We describe the barriers that students face during the transition to college and review the evidence on potential policy solutions. We focus primarily on research…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines improving college affordability, focusing on a view from the states. Following an opening statement by Honorable Tom Harkin (Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) and Honorable Michael B. Enzi (U.S. Senator from the State of Wyoming), the…

This report examines the results of the Senior Exit Survey, which is administered annually to all graduating high school students, pursuant to state requirements. The Senior Exit Survey in its fifth administration replaces the Graduate Exit Interview. The purpose of this study is fourfold: (1) examine seniors' attitudes toward high school; (2)…

Purpose: Despite the growing clinical and research advances in communication sciences and disorders (CSD), health disparities persist by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status among patients. A diverse CSD workforce can improve access to services and reduce health care disparities for diverse populations. Increasing diversity of the workforce…

This paper examines the U.S. social insurance system, which we define broadly to include both programs supported by dedicated taxes and other federal programs that provide income support, assistance in meeting basic needs, or services to improve economic opportunity. The paper considers the social insurance system as a whole as well as its…

Higher education is increasingly important for individual wellbeing, the economic competitiveness of Washington state, and the state's recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. However, postsecondary enrollment trends have not kept pace with the state's changing economic needs and expanded financial aid programs. Issues with stagnant direct enrollment…

This Summary highlights the findings from the First Look full report. The findings in this report provide the first national estimates of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on postsecondary students. Researchers have previously collected and reported data at institution, state, and international levels (Aristovnik et al. 2020; Aucejo et al. 2020;…