In a time of ever-rising college costs, financial aid is critical to increase college access and success. Federal, state, and institutional aid programs help to ensure that students can afford higher education regardless of economic background. Financial aid is most effective when students and families learn about it early enough to make the right…

Public higher education has undergone a process similar to that in the national polity: a one-sided struggle by those with power to shape the institution to be more market driven, more focused on what will generate (non-state) revenues, more dominated by top administrators, and less concerned about the working class and people of color. This…

Nebraska's statutes require the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education to prepare biennially the "Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid Report." This report studies the public policy issues relating to tuition, fees, and financial aid for students in Nebraska. It examines the significant, interrelated issues facing the state's…

The U.S. record in promoting student readiness for, access to, and success in postsecondary education has been mixed. College participation rates are among the highest in the world, but other indicators are marginal, at best. Available data indicate that levels of college readiness in the U.S. are not what they should be, and degree-completion…

New federal spending on student aid is unlikely to improve college access. The increase in access in higher education in America largely came before massive federal involvement in student financial aid programs. Evidence suggests that federal subsidies for student aid may be counterproductive. Modest provision of financial assistance serves to…

This paper assesses the effectiveness of financial aid in promoting the persistence of black and Hispanic students admitted to the most selective colleges and universities in the United States to complete their college education. To explore whether more dollars of aid enhance graduation, the analysis separates two constructs--aid eligibility and…

Nearly 60% of all community colleges field athletic teams with over 72,000 students participating in these sports. That represents approximately 11% of all community college male students (5% of female students). Additionally, community colleges invest nearly $50 million dollars annually in financial aid to student athletes. With such a strong…

In this essay, Shirley M. Tilghman discusses the purpose, design, and impact of Princeton University's no-loan financial aid policy, which was enacted in 2001. As the centerpiece of an aid and recruitment strategy that seeks to improve college access despite growing socioeconomic stratification, the policy obliges Princeton to meet all student…

This study contributes to the literature on educational transitions, specifically whether an equalising of opportunities at early educational transitions translates into more equal participation patterns at later stages (Spill-over versus maximally maintained inequality hypotheses). The case study approach used in this paper compares the enrolment…

The Connecticut public higher education community requests an overall general fund/operating fund budget of $1.95 billion for FY 2008 and $2.02 billion for FY 2009. In FY 2008, this includes general fund current service support of $717.7 million and other funding requests of $53.0 million. For FY 2009, the general fund current service request is…

Most students enter college with the intent of graduating in four years. However, a growing number of students are taking six years to don the cap and gown. There are any number of reasons why that is so, say students and educators. Diane Hall, the director of high school and community college relations at Florida A&M University's School of…

Rising tuition has led many states to offer college prepaid tuition plans. These plans are consistent with the trend in higher education policy toward meeting the needs of wealthier households. The paper argues that the public interest in these plans is hard to find; moreover, median voter theory suggests that prepaid tuition plans may have the…

This short brochure offers practical advice and information to parents and students on financing a college education. It opens with 10 facts about financing a college education to serve as a backdrop for the advice and information offered in the following pages. The brochure offers its information in a question and answer format. Topics covered…

This document is a comprehensive guide to electronic data exchange (EDE) of Title IV student financial aid application data to and from the U.S. Department of Education. An overview chapter defines terms for processing financial aid applications through EDE, explains the seven-step process for sending and receiving data using EDE, and describes…

As part of a series of hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, testimony was heard on the Pell Grant program, the largest student grant program. Witnesses from all sectors of the postsecondary education system offered suggestions for program changes. The witnesses included the following: Robert L. Albright,…