Public higher education leaders have entered 2024 aided by tailwinds of fiscal stability in many states and a strong national economy, but some challenges of the post-pandemic era remain, including strengthening the value proposition of higher education, building public trust, and meeting changing economic and workforce needs. This paper presents…

Recent higher education investments in Michigan have prompted the authors to revisit the reality of college affordability in the state, so that policymakers and stakeholders can monitor the impact of investments moving forward. While MI has lowered the net cost of a postsecondary education, a college credential still remains out of reach for many…

As part of the higher education community, we are not merely observers but key players in shaping students' experiences as they transition from high school to higher education. While this is a time of great excitement and possibility, it is also a significant challenge for many young people. How can admissions professionals help students manage…

Undocumented children have a right to a public k-12 education in the United States, however there is no standard approach to higher education. About half of states allow undocumented immigrants to attend public colleges and universities at in-state rates of tuition (ISRT) and a subset of these also allow them access to state financial aid. This…

The annual Application Trends Survey from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) provides the world's graduate business schools with data and insights to understand current trends in applications sent to graduate management education (GME) programs. This year's report begins with information from new survey questions about artificial…

Conducting satisfaction assessment is a way to show students that the institution cares about their perceptions and their educational experience, but an even more significant way that an institution can show that it cares is by actively responding to student-identified issues. Once data have been collected, actively reviewed, and shared throughout…

Food insecurity is widespread among college students in the United States. Food benefits delivered through the CalFresh program, California's version of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can reduce hunger by helping students pay for groceries, but may not reach all eligible students. To date, higher education systems…

Using the framework of belonging, this qualitative study explores how one upper Midwestern college engages in student-readiness and explores the disconnects that create barriers to student-readiness. The study investigates 'student readiness' broadly through the literature and more specifically by narrowing efforts to a detailed examination of one…

This article highlights learning lessons and best practices from the California Campus Catalyst Fund (CCCF), a unique three-year, $14M grant and technical assistance initiative, which supports programs for undocumented students at 32 campuses within each of the public higher education segments in California (University of California, California…

The publication of the long-awaited Augar Report into post-18 education and funding provides a timely opportunity to examine the literature and evidence on the role of bursaries in widening participation (WP) in higher education. WP policies have sought to address discrepancies in the take-up of HE between different social groups, and the…

This study explores STEM doctoral student agency with respect to funding as it relates to degree completion and career preparation. We interviewed 39 graduate students in chemistry, physics, and engineering at two large, public, research-intensive institutions in the USA. Although STEM doctoral students have a high expectation of full funding,…

The current research focused on the impact of delayed loan disbursement on performance. The study focused on Kenyatta University, situated in Nairobi, Kenya. In the study, the variables of class attendance, personal expenses, and course registration were evaluated as the main factors that impacted student performance due to delayed loans. A sample…

College students with disabilities often encounter systems and processes that do not serve them well. Financial aid, structured in ways that can be particularly burdensome to students with disabilities, is one such system. This study used web-based content analysis of the largest public four-year institution in each state to explore how…

For the past 14 years, Sallie Mae's "How America Pays for College" report has surveyed college students and parents of undergraduate students about their attitudes toward higher education and how they are paying for it. The research examines families' attitudes toward the value of a college education, as well as their key considerations…

The objective of this review was to evaluate the results of Federal Student Aid's (FSA) process for suspending involuntary collection and refunding payments involuntarily collected on defaulted Department-held loans in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. The information presented in this report was obtained and analyzed through interviews,…