The report examines how enrolled undergraduate students and parents of undergraduates view higher education and how they pay for it. The report considers education funding sources--from parent and student income and savings to scholarships, grants, and borrowed funds--and evaluates trends in payment strategies over time. This 17th edition provides…

This study explores the experiences of first- and second-year first-generation college students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) related to the college admissions process and finding financial aid. This applies the digital divide to determine whether the three levels of the digital divide still impact first-generation…

Going to college creates a financial challenge for an increasing number of American students. The inadequacy of available financial aid and lack of wrap-around services make the possibility of college graduation increasingly challenging for former McKinney-Vento students. The purpose of this study was to explore the financial, socioemotional, and…

For 16 years, Sallie Mae has surveyed college students and parents of undergraduate students about their attitudes toward higher education and how they're paying for it. This year's report explores education funding sources--from family income and savings to scholarships, grants, and borrowed funds--and evaluates trends in payment strategies over…

Over the past two decades, the practice of tuition discounting has become commonplace, and the discount percentage has steadily increased since 2008. This study replicates the work executed by Juliana Browning in 2013. This study focuses on the sustainability and viability of Title IV participating, private, four-year, not for profit, degree…

Low retention and graduation rates among African American college students remain a national concern (Pike & Robbins, 2020). Many dropped out within their first year of enrollment (Gordon et al., 2021). Researchers attributed high attrition to low graduation and retention rates (Oates, 2019). Tinto and Cullen's (1973) Model of Departure and…

Finding the right college is a challenge for all students, but Black families face additional challenges and questions when navigating the admissions process. Veteran admissions experts Timothy L. Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown demystify this complexity by advising families on when to begin the process, where to apply, and how to be a…

Historically, research on the experiences of international students in the United States has overwhelmingly focused on students attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and very little empirical research has been conducted on the experiences of international students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). It is…

Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329, as amended) authorizes the primary sources of federal aid to support postsecondary education students. Title IV programs made over $118 billion in aid available to postsecondary students in FY2020 through Direct Loans and other forms of aid, including $27 billion in Pell Grants. The…

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329, as amended), authorizes numerous federal aid programs that provide support to both individuals pursuing a postsecondary education and institutions of higher education (IHEs). The FAFSA Simplification Act (FSA; Title VII, Division FF of P.L. 116-260) makes significant changes to the underlying…

There is an undeniable fact that enrollment management efforts on academic campuses have become an integral part of campus finance and the backbone of accreditation. Many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are on the verge of collapsing and even losing their accreditations due to low enrollment, a decline that has been observed…

In December 2019, Congress enacted and the President signed the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act (FUTURE Act; P.L. 116-91). The law The law amends the Higher Education Act (HEA) to permanently authorize mandatory funding for grant programs to support HBCUs and MSIs. Authorization for this funding had expired…

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of selected cognitive and non-cognitive factors on the academic achievement of first-year college students. Data were collected from over 150 freshman students enrolled at a Historically Black College and University located in the southern region of the United States. Data were examined…

In this paper, we focus on how Black students matter, from their perspective, in Ohio higher education. To better support Black students, policymakers, college leaders, and organizers must understand what is happening on the ground from students themselves. The words of the essayist and thinker, James Baldwin, are pertinent here: "Not…

One-third of student loan debt is delinquent or in default, creating a crisis in the United States economy and the lives of the students (Friedman, 2020 U.S. Department of Education, 2019). A more complex story is that of the African American student with default rates five times more than their majority counterparts (Mishory et al., 2019;…