Intended for financial aid counselors, this document provides guidelines to the Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Program for borrowers who are in school, as well as those in repayment, or in default. An introductory section explains the basics of the consolidated loan program, loan categories, and interest rates. Next, standards for borrower…

This handbook is designed to help high school counselors advise students about financial aid for postsecondary education. It focuses on the student financial aid programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The book includes supplementary materials designed to encourage high school students to consider postsecondary education as an…

The affordability of college is dependent on the cost of attendance, families' financial resources, and the financial aid available from federal, state, and other sources. This report examines college affordability for students who applied for federal financial aid. Less than half of all students (35%) apply for federal aid. In addition to federal…

This "white paper" is intended to provide an overview of many questions and issues related to the affordability of higher education in Virginia and to provide a starting point for discussions and deliberations. The paper includes a timeline for the completion of a study of college costs in Virginia by the State Council of Higher…

This participant's guide includes: "Introduction: Welcome to Cash Management Life Cycle Training"; "Module 1: Review of Cash Management Principles" (cash management overview and activity); "Module 2: Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System Overview" (e.g., full participants and phase-in participants, COD…

Various recent trends within Illinois higher education have raised concerns that the goals of "The Illinois Commitment," the state's higher education plan, may be at risk. In response to these concerns, a Committee on Affordability was established in August 2002 to conduct a comprehensive and objective analysis of these trends to assess…

This study used data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) for 1989-90 and 1995-96 to examine the awarding of need-based and merit student financial aid to entering college freshmen by private four-year colleges. Regression analysis used the amount of institutional need-based grant awarded to an individual freshman as a…

This pamphlet provides basic facts about the U.S. Department of Education's Direct Loan Program for students. These loans include Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loans, Direct PLUS Loans, and Direct Consolidation Loans. The pamphlet's sections are: (1) "The Direct Loan Program: What Is It?";…

As part of a review of functions and administrative processes, the Illinois Board of Higher Education commissioned a comprehensive evaluation of higher education grant programs. The evaluation focused on the goals defined in the policy document, "The Illinois Commitment," and the extent to which the grant programs are contributing to the…

This document presents the text of the Police, Fire, and Emergency Officers Educational Assistance Act of 1998. This Act provides higher education financial assistance to the dependents of federal, state, and local public safety officers who are killed, or permanently and totally disabled as the result of a traumatic injury sustained in the line…

This publication describes how an institution of higher education calculates and pays federal Pell awards to eligible students and how it reports those payments to the Department of Education. The discussion covers what the school must do to process an eligible student's Pell award after the school has received documentation of the student's…

This fact sheet discusses student financial aid in California postsecondary education. It indicates California student financial aid is increasing significantly: (1) in 2002-03, California students received over $8 billion in financial aid; (2) financial aid funding increased by over 30%, from $5.9 billion in 1998-99 to $8.1 billion in 2002-03;…

The purpose of this brief is to describe the characteristics of undergraduate students receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Social Security Administration (SSI) benefits as they relate to issues of participation in postsecondary education and employment. This brief describes results from the National Postsecondary Student Aid…

Discusses the development of "studentenwerke" (organizations to aid students) in German institutions of higher education and describes the framework within which they carry out their work. Functions of the organizations include aid to education; provisions for living quarters; and maintaining nurseries, counseling offices, libraries, and…

The Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a decision that student loan default, and subsequent dismissal through bankruptcy, is sufficient reason to deny a law student's bar admission. The bar's requirement of good moral character was interpreted as financial integrity in the Gahan case. (MSE)