The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, correlational study is to compare three variables associated with doctoral degree completion to determine if there is a statistical significance between completion time, financial aid status, and ethnicity for women in STEM programs in the United States. Two research questions are addressed in…

Starting in 2015, New York State began offering college financial assistance to individuals who have experienced foster care at any point after the age of 13. Recognizing the unique needs of this student population and the desire to provide additional support, the Foster Youth College Success Initiative (FYCSI) was created to encourage and ease…

First-generation, freshmen students struggle to complete the financial aid process at a four-year private university in Louisiana, impacting their financial and academic well-being. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore first-generation, freshmen student perceptions of how they construct knowledge about the financial aid…

Increasing the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees is a national priority and one way to promote the socioeconomic mobility of students from low-income families. Prior research examining why students do not complete STEM majors often points to students' lack of academic preparation, preferences for non-STEM…

With the rising costs of tuition, many students may feel the need to work to keep up with the expense of their studies. Student work may lead to more on-the-job training and a larger professional network, but it can also divert time away from studying and reduce academic performance. For many students, Pell Grants defray a significant portion (if…

The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of the federal student aid programs, providing need-based grant aid to the country's lowest-income postsecondary students. Pell Grants have failed for decades to keep pace with increased college costs and inflation. Doubling the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000 will effectively recalibrate the grant and restore its…

Students in private, nonprofit (independent) higher education institutions, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged, often struggle with the costs of course materials like textbooks. However, much less is known about these students and how to assist them with these cost barriers compared to their peers at public institutions. It is…

This brief analyzes changes the House Committee on Education and the Workforce proposed to the income-driven repayment (IDR) plans for federal student loans under the fiscal year 2025 budget reconciliation process. The bill was approved in committee in April 2025. If enacted, it would replace existing IDR plans with a new plan (the Repayment…

Tuition-free college programs, often referred to as promise programs, have proliferated across the country. While previous literature on promise programs has shown positive results for the students who receive these scholarships, it has failed to account for program design and administrative features of the program (such as income caps, age, time…

Governments must strike a balance between promoting access to financial aid while at the same time remaining good stewards of taxpayer funds by preventing fraudulent access. This paper focuses on one of the largest-scale and most consequential policies determining whether students maintain access to Title IV aid, the "Return of Title IV"…

Amid a troubled overhaul of the federal process for applying for student financial aid, the share of Wisconsin high school seniors completing the application so far this year has plummeted. The largest declines have been at schools with greater proportions of marginalized students. While the gap may be narrowing as students near commitment…

Objective/Research Question: States have increasingly used merit-based criteria to distribute scholarships and grants, and the dominant conversation on merit-aid programs centers on students attending 4-year colleges and universities. This study examines the characteristics of state-funded merit-aid programs for community college students and…

Over the last two decades, public appropriations for Illinois have been cut in half, increasing tuition and fees for students and contributing to college population declines, underemployment, and hundreds of millions in lost future tax revenue. This document explains the issues facing public university funding in Illinois and lays out the case for…

Each year, NASSGAP completes a survey regarding state-funded expenditures for postsecondary student financial aid. This report, the 54th annual survey, represents data from academic year 2022-23. Data Highlights include: (1) In the 2022-23 academic year, the states awarded almost $16.6 billion in total state funded student financial aid, an…

This report focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on state tuition, fee, and financial aid policies for public institutions of higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted several areas of state policy--most significantly through increased funding to state budgets. For higher education, states received federal funding that they…