For years, financial aid administrators and others have debated the nature and structure of need analysis. As it developed, need analysis was based on commonly accepted definitions and basic principles of economics. Beyond the fundamentals of need analysis, there also developed expertise about exercising professional judgment (PJ) in reviewing…

This paper describes results of a 2023 survey of authors who applied to University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Open Article Fund, a fund that supports article processing charges (APCs). The survey sought feedback about the fund's impact, value, and award criteria as well as opinions on other open access topics. Results show that the fund has had a…

Universal Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) policies are being implemented in states as a way to eliminate financial barriers to college enrollment and completion for underrepresented student groups. High school counselors play a critical role in helping students complete this graduation requirement. Texas adopted a universal…

Courses: This unit-level teaching assignment was designed for courses on rhetoric, persuasion, professional communication, public speaking, and business communication. Objectives: By completing this activity, students should be able to: (1) identify and research a specific job, scholarship, or award they'd like to pursue within the next six…

College students who are parents or caregivers of dependent children make up more than one in five U.S. undergraduates. Colleges need basic information about the experiences and outcomes of the student parents they serve, since these students face distinct challenges, including high rates of economic insecurity and significant time and caregiving…

Despite a decade of simplification efforts, students and families are often still baffled by the student aid process and cringe at the sight of financial aid application forms. Contrary to its purpose of helping students to access college, the student aid application process causes families frustration and confusion that has been cited as an…

The analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of an instructional development project addressing the difficulty of completing the forms needed by students to obtain grants and other financial assistance for college is presented. Most students who attend college require financial assistance from their parents and/or loans and…

This report evaluates the Teacher Education Loan Program in Ohio based on an analysis of survey responses of 57 recipients and 47 non-recipients of these loans in 1990-91. Data were also obtained from administrators of the program and publications and statistics provided by the program. Questions asked were intended to discover the program's…

Designed as a guide for El Camino College (ECC) students considering transfer to a four-year institution, this booklet explains each step in the transfer process. Section A focuses on considerations in selecting a transfer institution that fits the student's educational goals and needs, including the existence of a bachelor's and graduate degree…

This report provides results from a Minnesota state survey designed to identify the characteristics of the students enrolled in Minnesota colleges and how their families are financing their education. Data are presented from survey responses of 5,347 undergraduate college students. Information is presented separately for dependent and independent…

The extent to which guaranty agencies, lenders, and state secondary markets impose restrictions on Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) borrowing that go beyond federal regulations was assessed through a survey of 53 guaranty agencies. Seventeen of the agencies imposed restrictions on GSLs that go beyond federal regulations, including not loaning to…

This document, the fifth in a series of student financial aid research reports, summarizes the results of three American College Testing (ACT) program studies of the new financial aid applicant categories of dislocated workers and displaced homemakers. The three studies involved description, verification, and simulation, respectively. The…

This study examined the availability of federally subsidized Stafford student loans for postsecondary education in light of recent legislated changes, specifically the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 and the Student Loan Reform Act of 1993, which authorized the Federal Direct Student Loan Program, brought changes to the Federal Family…

Information on sources of student financial aid for the 1985-1986 academic year is provided, along with an overview of need analysis in general, and the American College Testing Program (ACT) system. This guide, which is designed for counselors, provides answers to more than 100 frequently-asked questions about financial aid, and a description of…

Results of a 1984-1985 national study of independent students are presented, based on self-reported data from independent students. Independent students were identified by the following criteria: they were not claimed as dependent on their parents' tax returns, did not live with their parents for more than 6 weeks during 1984 or 1983, and did not…