Decades of research has suggested that completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be a complex, difficult process for postsecondary students and their support networks. However, no extant research has informed federal student aid practitioners and researchers as to what federal student aid jargon terms institutions of…

Students entering college may not have the financial knowledge and competency needed to completely understand the loans they are signing up for when committing to student financial aid. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the level of financial knowledge that first-year college students have when taking out college loans. This…

This fact sheet focuses on how adult students in Michigan are accessing, affording, and completing postsecondary credentials. Adult learners are adult individuals, often considered to be aged 25+, who return to education, often at the high school and undergraduate levels. [This fact sheet was prepared with the Michigan Center for Adult College…

Substantial increases in public university tuition often raise concerns about college affordability. But assessment of the impacts on low- and moderate-income families requires consideration of whether net tuition--tuition less grant aid--has increased commensurately. This paper describes recent shifts in net tuition by family income and…

Education and training after high school is critical for individual development and career advancement in Washington's innovative and evolving labor market. However, college enrollment and completion rates lag behind state goals and the national average. Washington has some of the most generous state financial aid opportunities in the country to…

Federal Student Aid is money from the Federal Government that helps you pay for college, career school, or graduate school expenses. Federal student aid is available through grants, work-study funds, and loans. Every student who meets certain eligibility requirements can get some type of federal student aid. This brief describes the types of aid…

As the price of college and its associated costs continue to rise, students are often left without the necessary financial resources to succeed in class and cover their basic needs. According to previous research, a student's ability to cover essential expenses poses a significant barrier to degree completion. Students' ability to cover expenses…

This study examines the financial aid literacy of Latino students at an institution of higher education in the United States. Beginning with a review of the current literature on the topic and past studies. Utilizing the theoretical framework of Marcia Magolda-Baxter's (2009) theory of self-authorship along with the conceptual frameworks of…

Undocumented college students face a broad range of legal, political, financial, cultural/social, and psychological/emotional barriers and challenges to persisting and succeeding in their college journey. The purpose of this action research study was to train faculty and staff at Long Beach City College (LBCC) on the undocumented college…

Latino college students studying for a Homeland Security degree in Pennsylvania colleges and universities do not graduate at the same rate as their non-Latino peers, despite the availability of academic support programs which seek to help them achieve greater success. The support programs available include providing low-income and other students…

The 2011 Budget Control Act eliminated the in-school interest subsidy for graduate and professional students borrowing under the Stafford Loan Program. As a result, starting on July 1, 2012, graduate and professional students borrowing Stafford Loans became responsible for the interest accruing during their in-school deferment period. This study…

The rising cost of higher education has led to increased tuition costs for students and their families, forcing more students to secure larger amounts of debt to finance their educational pursuits. Although scholars have explored how student loan debt accumulation influences higher education persistence and graduation, an unexplored area of higher…

Accreditation is one of the three tickets that every college in America must punch if it wants access to federal student aid (FSA) programs for its students. The current regulatory regime for postsecondary institutions forces each college wanting to participate in FSA programs to get authorization from the state in which it operates, meet the…

Nebraska's constitution and state statutes require the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE) to review the budget requests of the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska State College System, and the community colleges in light of specific criteria set forth in the statutes. The Commission also makes recommendations on major…

The phenomenon of student movement between higher education institutions received considerable attention due to its widespread occurrence and impact on academic trajectories. While extensive research focused on vertical transfer, such as transitions from community colleges to four-year institutions, less research exists concerning lateral…