This study analyzes the length and readability of admissions and financial aid application instructions at a random sample of 341 four-year higher education institutions in the United States. Linguistic analyses indicate that financial aid application instructions are longer and more difficult to read than are admissions materials at the same…

This manuscript proposes a conceptual framework to reconceptualize college access at the state level, while accounting for the heterogeneous impact different forms of financial aid have on access across sectors and levels. The use of this framework may strengthen our understanding of the relationship between aid and access by accounting for more…

Do nudge interventions that have generated positive impacts at a local level maintain efficacy when scaled state or nationwide? What specific mechanisms explain the positive impacts of promising smaller-scale nudges? We investigate, through two randomized controlled trials, the impact of a national and state-level campaign to encourage students to…

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify if and how a community college provided services to meet the needs of undocumented students seeking STEM degrees during the pandemic. The study is grounded in the framework of Institutional Undocu-Competence (IU-C) and draws from interviews with 16 students at an urban community…

Federal policy excludes undocumented students from federal aid for postsecondary education, creating tremendous barriers to their ability to cover tuition costs. Starting with fewer need-based funding options for college elevates the importance of accessing scholarships for undocumented students. The existing literature has established the crucial…

Efforts to build a well-prepared, stable, and diverse teacher workforce can face many challenges; these include lower compensation than comparable college-degree careers and high costs of credentialing. More than 6 in 10 teachers have taken out student loans to support their education, and close to 4 in 10 are still repaying them. Student loan…

Pursuant to Education Code EDC 78080-78084, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office is pleased to provide the 2025 Hire UP Program Legislative Report. The Hire UP Pilot Program, established in 2022, aims to provide financial support and workforce integration for vulnerable student populations, including formerly incarcerated…

The United States prison industry is the largest in the world. With the reintroduction of Second Chance Pell in 2015, more people are starting their education while incarcerated, and some attempt to finish after release. However, they are faced with numerous barriers that may prevent graduation. Drawing on Astin's theory of student involvement,…

San José's public schools provide a quality education, enhanced by programs and services that advance students' educational outcomes. Yet it is estimated that less than 4 of 10 students starting 9th grade will successfully navigate a path to and through postsecondary education. Many of these students lack clear guidance, financial resources,…

In 2015, the City University of New York (CUNY) launched a new program--Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE)--aimed at improving college graduation rates. A randomized-control evaluation of the program found a nearly 12 percentage point increase in graduation five years after college entry. Using this impact estimate and national data on…

We study the determinants of poor mental health among students at an elite private institution. Survey measures of well-being have declined significantly over the last decade for both high school students and those of college age. This is an international phenomenon that appears to have started in the US around 2013 and that was not caused by but…

Thirty-one percent of all American undergraduate students are Pell Grant eligible, making students from low-income backgrounds a considerable proportion of undergraduate enrollment. Yet, these students are often under supported and languish in college environments that are not built for them, leading to profound achievement gaps both in…

Financial aid administrators administer various aspects of financial assistance programs; oversee, direct, coordinate, evaluate, and provide training for program activities and the personnel who manage office operations and supervise support staff; and ensure alignment of student and institutional needs while protecting the public interest. They…

Drawing boundaries in federal systems is often a practical and constitutional challenge for public finance and the delivery of higher education. This paper studies arrangements between national and provincial governments as they affect post-secondary performance in Canada. The study investigates several categories of interaction between levels of…

During the pandemic, much of the focus of administrators and scholars has been on its impact on residential students and the sudden shift to online instruction. While justified, researchers have yet to focus on online students--who often represent marginalized communities in higher education--to ask whether they were impacted by factors related to…