The Federal Pell Grant program, authorized by Title IV-A-1 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, (HEA; P.L. 89-329), as amended, is the single largest source of federal grant aid supporting postsecondary education students. The program provided approximately $31 billion in aid to approximately 6.5 million undergraduate students in FY2023. Pell…

The administration of college financial aid is a key venue through which colleges can affect the likelihood that students will make it to graduation. We investigate the effects of an understudied yet consequential federal student aid policy: Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4). Under R2T4, students "earn" Federal Student Aid over a term or…

Food insecurity--the condition of having inadequate food due to a lack of resources--affected roughly 1 in 10 Americans in 2019, and this number increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among college students nationwide, the prevalence of food insecurity is unknown; however, studies have shown that food insecurity is a problem for some college…

The Pell Grant is targeted to students with the greatest financial need, and many policymakers find the Pell Grant a useful policy lever for promoting access and success for students from lower- and moderate-income backgrounds. There are several examples where policymakers use Pell eligibility to allocate resources and hold colleges accountable…

This study aimed to replicate, revise, and validate the model of Institutional Performance in Graduation Rate developed by Fung based on Tinto and Astin theories. The sample included 706 public, 4-year, Title IV postsecondary institutions in the United States. Two CFA-SEM models were conducted with the IPEDS 2011-2017 data. The relationships among…

In 1994, Congress passed and President Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-322), which, among other things, made prisoners ineligible for Pell Grants. However, concerns about the financial and social costs of the growing prison population combined with concerns about the recidivism rate of released…

Although the nature of higher education and the students we serve have drastically changed since the passage of the 1965 Higher Education Act, little has changed regarding the award and disbursement of financial aid. In 1965, the typical college student was likely between 18 and 21 years old, living on campus, and a full-time student. In contrast,…

This First Look publication provides the first results of the 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC), the most comprehensive national study of student financing of postsecondary education in the United States. The study includes information for about 245,000 undergraduate students and 21,000…

This Summary presents selected findings from "2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC): First Look at Student Financial Aid Estimates for 2017-18. NCES 2021-476rev." The study includes information for about 245,000 undergraduate students and 21,000 graduate students attending 1,900…

There have been numerous reports of institutions of higher education (IHEs) experiencing financial hardships as a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This report discusses and contextualizes issues related to IHEs' stability and fiscal health during the pandemic. To provide background on the types of issues IHEs are facing,…

This First Look report presents selected findings about student financial aid during the 2017--18 academic year. These findings are based on data from the 2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC). NPSAS:18-AC is a national study of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled any time between July…

This Summary presents selected findings from "2017-18 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, Administrative Collection (NPSAS:18-AC): First Look at Student Financial Aid Estimates for 2017-18. NCES 2021-476." The full report is about student financial aid during the 2017-18 academic year. These findings are based on data from the…

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that all Title IV-participating institutions of higher education publish web accessible websites for students with disabilities. This study sought to evaluate the web accessibility of Hispanic-Serving Institutional (HSI) websites (n = 217). Results suggest that the average HSI website landing page…

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education that was held to discuss the future of higher education post COVID-19. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Frederica S. Wilson, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Education and Workforce Investment; and (2)…

Public Law 105-244 of the 1998 Higher Education Act Amendments established that proprietary institutions must derive at least 90% (the "90/10 rule") of their revenue from sources other than federal student aid (Title IV funding). Schools that violate the 90/10 rule for 2 consecutive years lose access to Title IV funding (U.S. Department…