Burgeoning student debt and the ability of programs to adequately prepare students for jobs that will allow them to repay that debt comprise a topic of great interest in the current higher education policy environment. A key accountability measure used by the Department of Education for more than two decades has been the student loan cohort…

In this paper, we leverage detailed, individual-level student data to understand the relationships between family finances, merit-based aid, and first-year student retention. With three cohorts of student data that comprise family financial status, institutional merit scholarships, and many of the other known correlates of student retention, we…

Two independent studies conducted by Baker, Sciarra, and Farrie (2015) and Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (2015) reveal Alabama's public school funding mechanism to be regressive and inequitable. The recommendation from both of these studies is to develop a funding formula including per pupil-based allocation and supplemental categorical…

This case study examined the perceptions of scholarship recipients participating in Southwest Virginia Community College's (SWCC's) S-STEM scholarship program which examined whether the program helped remove barriers to students' educational goals and STEM career aspirations. The study used a focus group and a survey to elicit responses from…

For high school students and their parents, paying for college can be daunting, particularly if student loans are a factor. Some advocates have suggested that income share agreements (ISAs) may help these families finance postsecondary education. ISAs are an alternative form of financial aid in which students pledge a portion of their future…

We examine the impacts of being awarded a Cal Grant, among the most generous state merit aid programs. We exploit variation in eligibility rules using GPA and family income cutoffs that are ex ante unknown to applicants. Cal Grant eligibility increases degree completion by 2 to 5 percentage points in our reduced form estimates. Cal Grant also…

During their senior year, students attending Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools develop a postsecondary plan that denotes what they intend to do after graduating from high school. Seniors report whether they are planning to attend a four-year college/university, a two-year/community college, or a vocational/technical school;…

This paper provides a conceptual framework that examines the interrelationship between state and institutional finance policies, including state appropriations, tuition and financial aid. It explores how state higher education goals can be advanced through outcomes-based funding policies that provide incentives for institutional behavior, and how…

"On the Verge: Costs and Tradeoffs Facing Community College Students" documents California community college students' struggles to cover college expenses beyond tuition, their experiences with financial aid, and the troubling tradeoffs they face when available resources do not stretch far enough. Consistent with a growing body of…

Low-income, first-generation, and racial/ethnic minority students encounter unique challenges in higher education because they contend with fewer economic and social resources, and fewer familial role models who have successfully navigated college. Just as importantly, these students contend with negative cultural stereotypes and expectations…

We analyze changes in financial aid and student enrollment at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that occurred after the U.S. Department of Education increased the credit history requirements necessary to obtain Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). We use institution-level data to examine financial aid and enrollment…

Budget 2019 brings welcome investments for students. It does not address however, key challenges facing Canada's colleges and universities, resulting from stagnant government funding for core operating costs. Budget 2019 commitments to making post-secondary more affordable average around $650 million per year for five years and include investments…

Higher education leaders are looking for high impact ways to improve retention and graduation rates in a climate of austere budgets. Increasingly, higher education sees the interplay of finances and academic performance as a key driver of student success. Across the nation, measurable improvements in student success outcomes are observed when…

A solid majority of California's future college-age population will come from demographic groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education--including Latinos, African Americans, and those who are low income or the first in their families to go to college. PPIC research has shown that this demographic shift could make it more…

This Annual Plan presents the major initiatives and priorities the U.S. Department of Education (Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to undertake to assist the Department in fulfilling its responsibilities to America's taxpayers and students. The Department continues to face significant challenges in FY 2020 that impact its…