As of 2005, 15 states had adopted a broad-based merit aid program, providing a combined $1.2 billion for college students on the basis of academic qualifications. This represents a shift away from a long tradition of need-based aid at the state and federal levels. This article utilizes a Cox proportional hazards model to analyze states'…

In a well-known fable, several blind men are asked to describe an elephant. One says, ''An elephant is flat, like a pancake," another says that it's "like a big snake." Their descriptions are accurate but limited, based on whichever part of the beast each happens to be holding--the ear, the trunk, and so forth. America's "system" of higher…

Institutional and survey data of community college transfer students in Missouri was used to determine if grade transfer shock (GTS) was related to student outcomes and whether demographic, institutional, and traditional counseling services were associated with GTS. GTS was found to be negatively related to student outcome measures at the…

This report examines the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and Federal Pell Grant Program (FPGP), focusing on the extent to which the Department's student aid data are effectively used to help ensure compliance with federal requirements and prevent any abuses from recurring and the improvements that the…

This publication presents statistics that estimate higher education student financial aid for 1992-93 in 12 tables using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). NPSAS is a comprehensive study that is examining how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. It includes nationally representative samples of…

This report provides statistical information on minority undergraduate participation in postsecondary education and postsecondary persistence among racial-ethnic groups, based on the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). The data indicate that, after a dramatic increase in minority enrollment in the 1960s and 1970s, there was uneven…

In February 1995, the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) established a committee to study accessibility and opportunity within the community college system. This document provides the Committee's report, focusing on changing conditions and challenges facing the system. Following introductory materials, a paradigm shift between the 1950's and…

This evaluative report by the General Accounting Office (GAO) summarizes Department of Education actions made through April 1996 in response to 205 recommendations to improve the management of federal student financial aid programs. The report concludes that the Department had completed actions or had actions in progress or planned for 186 of the…

This is a summary of the 120 bills and resolutions related to higher education and passed by the 1996 session of the Virginia General Assembly. Bills address issues affecting all of Virginia higher education as well as those specifically affecting the Council of Higher Education. Brief summaries of each bill follow a listing of all the higher…

Tables, graphs, and text summarize the most recent statistics available on financial aid available to students in postsecondary education including virtually all federal aid and the vast majority of state and institutional assistance. It revises earlier 1990s data and provides estimates for the academic year 1995-96. Study highlights include: (1)…

This report presents the results of a review of all state student financial aid programs in Florida and presents recommendations concerning program consolidation. The review was designed to address a variety of aid-related issues, including unexpended financial aid resources, program consolidation, budget request and aid distribution procedures,…

This booklet summarizes major conclusions and the statistical evidence supporting them concerning how changes in higher education revenue and expenditure are related to institutional enrollments, tuition and fee charges, and student financial aid, as well as the overall value of a higher education degree. Findings are organized into the categories…

In 1996, the New York State Office of the Comptroller performed an audit of Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) awards at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) for the 1993-94 through 1995-96 academic years. TAP, the largest student grant and scholarship program administered by the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), is designed to…

The General Accounting Office (GAO) examined the extent to which the financial aid provided under Title IV of the Higher Education Act to students enrolled in proprietary schools is being spent to train individuals for demand occupations. Job opening projections in 12 states were used to estimate job demand, the National Center for Education…

The Vietnam Era GI Bill was clearly influenced by the social and educational success of World War II veterans, but also reflected the policy objectives of equity and access of the 1960's. A 1987 monograph by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reported that 60% of all Vietnam Era veterans received some training benefit from the GI Bill, but…