Access to a quality, affordable college education remains a cornerstone of American economic and social development. Individuals from all backgrounds need the knowledge and skills afforded by higher education to compete in an increasingly integrated--and competitive--global economy. Greater educational attainment correlates with many positive…

The paper discusses report of The Spellings Commission for Future of Higher Education that was set up to look into the issues facing the higher education system in the U.S., outline the challenges and offer recommendations to tackle the problems. Most importantly, The Spellings Commission Report raised the issue of the role of federal government…

The overarching goal for this project was to examine the potential for increasing IDA use for educational purposes and to explore higher education's involvement with IDAs, as well as the potential for greater participation. The three main objectives for the project were to: (1) describe and understand current education IDA initiatives,…

This paper assesses the likely impact of proposed changes in the Office of Postsecondary Education's method of calculating parental base-year income on determining eligibility for student financial aid. In examining applicant data the study concludes that the change to use of prior, prior year (PPY) income is not a good proxy for the current prior…

On September 19, 2005, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings announced the formation of a Commission on the Future of Higher Education. Over the next two years, the Commission's activities were comprehensively reported and widely debated in the media, and vigorous discussions of the Commission continue. The Commission's Report…

The essay makes an attempt to trace the influences that external political and socioeconomic factors like World Wars I, II and Great Depression had on higher education in the U.S. Higher education - autonomous and self - contained system - proved to be one of the center points of main societal developments, at the same time being significantly…

The education community offers a plethora of resources from which IDA practitioners can draw as they support their clients in asset-specific training. This paper presents an annotated list of internet resources on preparing for college. Most of these resources are for youth aspiring to go to college. The websites are broken down according to the…

This paper describes the process for expanding an existing ten year study abroad program between two universities, the University of Texas Pan American, Edinburg, Texas, and the Leuphana University, Lueneburg, Germany. The model for this reciprocal educational program will include a process for enrollment, suggested curricula, course scheduling,…

This briefing document summarizes issues on simplifying need analysis and delivery in the context of Higher Education Act reauthorization proposals. First, brief summaries of seven key issues are presented followed by three or four recommendations for each issue, and a list of recommended actions as proposed by the Department of Education and the…

The beneficiaries of state grant programs, the amount of aid students receive, and policies that affect the utility of aid are considered, based on the 1982-1983 report of the National Association of State Scholarship and Grant Programs. For both need-based and non-need-based programs, attention is directed to eligibility criteria for students,…

Student aid records from a national sample of aid recipients attending independent colleges and universities with enrollments of more than 500 students were evaluated. It was found that recent reductions in federal student assistance and restrictions placed on program eligibility reduced substantially the number and proportion of low-income…

This report analyzes key student financial aid need issues in preparation for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The issues discussed in the report were chosen by the College Scholarship Service's Council Committee on Standards of Ability to Pay, for discussion at the College Board's Regional Assemblies. The issues include: (1)…

Stage Two of the Title IV Quality Control Project represents an integrated study of quality in five related Federal financial aid programs for postsecondary students. An introductory chapter of this volume on procedures and methods presents the major objectives of Stage Two and discusses them in the context of previous related quality control…

The need for advance planning to finance college studies is addressed. It is suggested that financial aid officers should stop thinking about this year's family income and current assets as a pool of resources to be tapped to pay for this year's parental contribution to college costs. Instead, income and assets might be viewed as indicators of a…

The definition of independent student that is used in determining eligibility for federal student financial aid is examined, along with potential compliance problems for independent students and differential treatment of independent and dependent students. Major factors for defining independence for students receiving federal financial aid are:…