Educational opportunities and outcomes for California's Latino students have improved over the last half century. Even so, Latino students continue to face barriers in opportunity that make it harder for them to achieve college, career, and future success. The goal of this report is to describe what Latino students currently experience in…

Many adult students struggle to finance their educations, often contending with work and child care expenses in addition to the extra cost of remedial courses. Moreover, there is little need-based grant aid to help. This report presents early findings from an evaluation of a program in New York City targeted to low-income adults (ages 22 to 35)…

A study investigated the effect of emergency loans of up to $275 on retention among 504 loan applicants (347 granted and 157 denied) at 1 university. Results indicate the loans had little or no effect on the likelihood of a student remaining in college. (Author/MSE)

This article examines the characteristics of low-income undergraduates and how they pay for college. It examines their financial need, describes the contribution of financial aid, and presents what is known about how they close the gap between their costs and the amount of aid they receive. (JM)

Students and parents need ample time and accurate information to prepare for the financial burden of a college education--those who lack this knowledge base face a significant access barrier to higher education. This problem can be countered by the delivery of comprehensive, integrated financial aid information, an approach identified by the…

The educational progress of students with different family incomes is analyzed. Three financial aid policies working against dependent students from low-income families are examined: (1) zeroing out calculated negative parental contributions; (2) requiring a minimum self-help expectation from students in this group; and (3) substituting expensive…

A study of the effects of tuition discounting practices on European-American and African-American college students (n=42,793) found that differences in student price response to tuition helps explain differences in persistence rates in the two groups. African Americans were found to be substantially more responsive to tuition than were European…

Examines the total direct and indirect effects of receiving financial aid on persistence to degree using a subsample of 1989 freshmen from the Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey. Analysis shows that although simply receiving financial aid is unrelated to persistence, the effects of financial aid on persistence appear to depend on type and…

A study of graduate and professional student within-year persistence, based on the 1993 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, compared three models of the impact of financial aid on persistence. It was found that financial aid significantly and positively influenced within-year persistence, with comprehensive aid packages having the greatest…

A survey of 466 students in a large, urban commuter college investigated the relationship of student finances to academic persistence. Results suggest that financial aid (1) equalizes opportunities for students, thus decreasing attractiveness of alternatives, (2) facilitates academic and social integration, and (3) increases student commitment to…

DePaul University (Illinois) has addressed the problem of delays in employer reimbursement of tuition costs by extending payment due dates and treating reimbursement as pending financial assistance. Since implementation, enrollment in courses designed specifically for adult students have increased, and withdrawals have decreased. One-third of…