Federal student assistance has become a tangled thicket of programs and policies. It is complicated, fails to focus benefits on the neediest students, and is increasingly expensive. Complexity and cost, grants or loans, who should benefit from student assistance and who should pay, and reshaping student aid are discussed. (MLW)

Many colleges offer creative programs to help students earn money to pay college costs. Many colleges have increased the grant aid but on most campuses, the major available alternative is employment opportunities. Colleges will have to look mostly to themselves in the future when dealing with student loans. (MLW)