The New York State program of student financial assistance is broad and comprehensive, comprising an extensive network of low-tuition public colleges, scholarships for outstanding high school graduates, tuition assistance grants for use at public and independent colleges, and guaranteed loans to college students. The present scholarship and tuition assistance grants are based on legislation of 1974 and 1975 that established the New York Higher Education Services Corporation to centralize the administration of the programs of scholarships, grants and loans, and to coordinate such programs with those of other levels of government, particularly the Federal government. The Board of Regents review and evaluate the programs and report to the State legislature. This report details the development and scope of financial assistance programs; the present scholarship and grant programs; determination of the student's award on basis of tuition cost and financial ability; trends in enrollments and awards; trends in costs and average awards; the impact of the tuition assistance program on students' choice of college; how tuition assistance program award recipients finance college costs; and a review of the Higher Education Services Corporation Annual Report for 1975-76. A summary of findings and recommendations for the improvement of such programs and the enlargement of educational opportunity are also included. (JMF)