Rising remediation rates among college students are leading to increased time for completion of degree, additional costs for students and colleges, and financial aid being used on courses that do not count towards a degree. In response to these issues, in 2007 the state of Illinois passed the College and Career Readiness Act (CCR Act), Public Act…

The purpose of this study was to examine what types of initiatives exist to increase access to and affordability of postsecondary education, especially in community college programs that lead to occupational advancement. We reviewed community college agency and state legislative Web sites to discover what initiatives or policies are currently…

Access to a quality, affordable college education remains a cornerstone of American economic and social development. Individuals from all backgrounds need the knowledge and skills afforded by higher education to compete in an increasingly integrated--and competitive--global economy. Greater educational attainment correlates with many positive…

The paper discusses report of The Spellings Commission for Future of Higher Education that was set up to look into the issues facing the higher education system in the U.S., outline the challenges and offer recommendations to tackle the problems. Most importantly, The Spellings Commission Report raised the issue of the role of federal government…

The overarching goal for this project was to examine the potential for increasing IDA use for educational purposes and to explore higher education's involvement with IDAs, as well as the potential for greater participation. The three main objectives for the project were to: (1) describe and understand current education IDA initiatives,…

This updated guide is designed to help students in Alberta, Canada, plan and finance postsecondary education. A student who has made financial plans will have more options when it is time to choose an institution for postsecondary education. How to choose the right school depends on what a student wants from education and what he or she plans for…

This report is a special analysis that is republished from the "Condition of Education 2004" in a booklet form. The analysis examines changes undergraduate student aid between 1989-90 and 1999-2000, focusing on dependent students who were enrolled full time for the full academic year. This analysis examines changes in student financing of…

The federal government provides student loans for college and graduate school in two ways: by guaranteeing bank loans, and by lending directly to students. In the guaranteed loan program, banks lend students money and profit from the interest payments while the government guarantees the loans against default and makes subsidy payments to the…

This guide contains information about Ohio's independent colleges and universities. It contains: (1) a map of the state's private colleges and universities; (2) "Quick Facts" about Ohio independent higher education; (3) a list of visit days for these institutions; (4) profiles of 53 independent colleges and universities in Ohio. Each…

Human capital contracts are "equity-like" instruments for financing higher education. Since repayment depends on earning and adjusts to student capital to pay, these contracts should be more attractive to students than traditional loans. By making transparent the relative economic value of certain fields of study or the value of degrees from…

This guide contains information on Ohio's independent colleges and universities, including: (1) a map of the state's private schools; (2) quick facts about independent higher education in Ohio; (3) financial aid; (4) private college visitation days; and (5) college and university profiles. The profiles provide information on 1999-2000 enrollment,…

This report discusses proposals to adjust the maximum Cal Grant award for students attending California's nonpublic colleges and universities. The Commission agrees with the need to enact a long-term policy for adjusting the maximum award and offers two additional recommendations to address implementation and institutional reporting requirements.

Asserting that confusion about the treatment of merit-based or categorically-based aid has revealed the need for a generalized financial aid reporting methodology, suggests a procedure for financial aid reporting that recognizes differing treatment of need-based aid before and after awarding. Offers general information about the theoretical…

Discusses how President Bush's 2004 budget proposal would erase the shortfall in Pell Grants, but many programs would receive no increases, and two would be eliminated. (EV)

Examined the influence of financial aid on the decision to enroll at the University of Washington by freshmen offered admission. Found that, controlling for sociodemographic and academic variables, self-help aid (federal student loans and federal work-study) had a negative influence on decision to enroll. Further, found differences in the…