An educator who benefited from the 1944 GI Bill reflects on the value of the legislation for America and suggests that it is again time to consider what new federal policy initiatives might have as important an impact. (MSE)

A chart offers data on federal appropriations for education in the following areas: student assistance; graduate support; institutional aid; bilingual education; library resources; aid to disadvantaged; education for disabled; and miscellaneous programs. Data are for fiscal 1994 spending, fiscal 1995 presidential request, fiscal 1995 approved by…

In 1994-95, States will increase spending on public colleges and student aid by 7.6% over 1992-93, the largest increase since the recession began. Forty states have raised appropriations. Data are presented for each state university, state college, two-year colleges, other institutions, and student aid, by state. States are also ranked by…

A recent report indicates state spending on student financial aid will be about 8% higher than in 1991-92, the largest one-year increase since 1989-90, in contrast to decreased overall spending on higher education. However, of 48 states anticipating spending increases, only 10 will have increases enough to cover student cost increases. (MSE)

Reviews the literature on trends in community college finance, focusing on trends in support patterns, expenditures, state funding, tuition, student loans and default rates, adult education funding, federal support, and comparable practices in other nations. (DMM)

The 1992 Higher Education Act amendments offer limited antitrust immunity for certain collective financial aid activities, but, because of recent litigation, all other aspects of higher education are now subject to antitrust scrutiny. Prudent administrators will adopt antitrust compliance programs to protect against inadvertent violations and…

An approach to enrollment management used by Southern Vermont College involves calculating the revenue lost for each student place left empty because of lack of student aid. It evolved from administration's efforts to select and schedule courses efficiently and to provide adequate class sections for students' needs. (MSE)

Increasingly, states are establishing policies designed to decrease the time public-college students take to attain their undergraduate degrees, stimulated by private college claims of four-year degrees that actually take only four years. State financial aid for summer school attendance is a major part of the strategy. The approach appears to be…

Discusses policies of Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Eugene W. Hickok, Jr., which include encouraging colleges to graduate more students in four years, stressing the need to improve the academic rigor of core curricula and teacher education programs at state universities, increasing state student financial aid, and encouraging for-profit…

After describing characteristics associated with student loan defaulters, the author provides supporting information from a qualitative survey that elicited perceptions about loan defaulters from 12 students, faculty and staff at a two-year college. Finds that student background characteristics play as great a role in loan default behavior as…

Higher education financing in Europe is undergoing a period of confusion and change. Five issues are noted: student participation in financing their studies is lower than optimum; upward trends in tuition/fees will continue; student financial aid systems in most countries must be rethought; tuition/fees and student aid systems must be coordinated…

Presents findings on the changes in borrowing related to the 1992 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Between academic years 1989-1990 and 1995-1996, the total dollar volume in federal student loans doubled, increasing from about $13 billion to about $28 billion. Describes key changes in student borrowing. (SLD)

Discusses the history of student financial aid's emergence as a major issue in American education, including why a policy of financial assistance was initiated, what it sought to accomplish, how national priorities influence those policies, and its current status. Explores how the shift from grants to loans is influencing access, underrepresented…

Examined the distribution of merit-based and need-based financial aid packages among a nationally representative sample of baccalaureate degree recipients. Found that students from underrepresented race and class backgrounds are less likely to receive merit aid and that students with minimal financial need are more likely to receive merit aid. (EV)

Presents results of an empirical investigation of Canadian student loans for four recent cohorts of graduates. Data include proportion of students graduating with loans and average amounts borrowed, loan burden measured by debt-to-earning ratios, repayment rates following graduation, and number of graduates reporting loan difficulties. Results are…