State financial aid grant programs are commonly categorized as either need-based, merit-based, or both, but their initial eligibility requirements include many more factors than just financial need and academic merit. A categorization of programs that accounts for all requirements would facilitate a more nuanced and precise understanding of state…

The extent to which postsecondary access and choice are promoted by the scholarship and grant programs in California, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania is examined. Findings: these programs induce a substantial number of students from low-income families to attend, are particularly helpful to women, and are responsible for the attendance of…

A study piloted a new approach to assessing the effects of changes in funding for state grant programs on college assistance. Analysis of Washington's state grant program indicates that an increase in state funds for need-based grants in 1993-1994 resulted in improved within-year persistence in public four-year universities. It is concluded that…