When Rep. Ric Keller, a Florida Republican, read in the "St. Petersburg Times" in 2003 about a twice-convicted rapist who was receiving Pell Grant money for computer classes, he was appalled. The man, who had served 24 years in prison, had been awarded about $15,000 in Pell Grants since 1999, when he was sentenced to a civil-commitment…

This Statistics in Brief uses nationally representative data to determine the representation of military students in undergraduate and graduate education and to examine how their demographic and enrollment characteristics compare with their nonmilitary peers. The brief draws upon two nationally representative studies of postsecondary students, the…

Once comprised of local, sole-proprietor ownership, the nation's for-profit institutions now range from small, privately owned schools to publicly traded corporations. Enrollment in such colleges has grown far faster than in traditional higher-education institutions. Moreover, during the 2009-2010 school year, for-profit colleges received almost…

This paper offers a comprehensive description of the academic and social support systems for low-income, first-generation students attending a major four-year, for-profit, multi-campus university. College retention and success research has determined that effective support services succeed in retaining and graduating low-income, first-generation…

The Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) and the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) present this Annual Report of accomplishments, benchmarks and statistics related to Missouri higher learning for Fiscal Year 2011. This report provides a snapshot of the issues, policies and goals considered by the CBHE during the 2011 fiscal…

The "2011 Legislative Briefing" is a topical summary of state budget and legislative actions that affect elementary, secondary and higher education across the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) region. It outlines actions in areas such as tax and spending legislation, assistance to local districts, tuition and fees, student…

Open access institutions have achieved the goal of providing higher education to all who seek it. To compete in a global economy, these higher educational institutions must do more than open the door; they must ensure that admitted students succeed. This study examined effects of New York State's financial aid policy that requires…

Background: The GI Bill has given United States military veterans the opportunity to afford and enroll in colleges and universities for nearly seventy years. In the Fall of 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill started helping a new generation of student veterans pay for their post-secondary education and earn degrees and certificates. The Post-9/11 GI Bill…

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…

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) is an independent, nonprofit research center based in Washington, DC that is dedicated to researching public policy and economic issues relating to postsecondary education. CCAP aims to facilitate a broader dialogue that challenges conventional thinking about costs, efficiency and…

Almost everyone agrees that colleges have become costly to attend and are a growing burden on society to finance. Rising tuition costs threaten the ability and desire of students to attend college. Are there things that can be done to significantly reduce the cost of college? The answer is an emphatic "yes." The Center for College Affordability…

This workshop manual is designed to teach financial aid administrators about student eligibility. The first module, "Student Eligibility," defines student eligibility criteria and discusses interpreting output documents and financial aid histories. Module 2 discusses calculating the expected family contribution (EFC) and calculating a student's…

This monograph provides research tools, tips, and resources to financial aid administrators who need to undertake research tasks. It answers: What is research? How can financial aid administrators get started on research projects? What resources are available to help answer research questions quickly and accurately? How can research efforts assist…

This training manual is intended for use by higher education institutions that use the electronic student financial aid packaging process in a Windows environment. Each unit in the manual is organized into several lessons; each lesson presents the material and then provides practical application materials. The first unit is an overview of the…

This training manual is intended for higher education institutions that process Federal Pell Grants under a new system called the recipient financial management system (RFMS). The RFMS system is part of the electronic data exchange process which allows schools to send and receive Title IV student financial aid application data to and from the…