In examining national data on Federal Pell Grant eligibility in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), we were puzzled to discover that many students who appear to have eligible Expected Family Contributions (EFCs) do not receive the award. We use institutional data from a large public university to understand and enumerate changes…

The Pittsburgh Promise is a scholarship program that provides $5,000 per year toward college tuition for public high school graduates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who earned a 2.5 GPA and a 90% attendance record. This study used a difference-in-difference design to assess whether the introduction of the Promise scholarship program directly…

In the context of a theoretical model of expected profit maximization, this paper shows how historic institutional data can be used to assist enrollment managers in determining the level of financial aid for students with varying demographic and quality characteristics. Optimal tuition pricing in conjunction with empirical estimation of…

Default on guaranteed student loans has been increasing. The use of discriminant analysis as a technique to identify "good" v "bad" student loans based on information available from the loan application is discussed. Research to test the ability of models to such predictions is reported. (Author/MLW)

A study that examined the impact of state-funded programs on a potential students' college selection decision and the extent to which other variables influence their decision is discussed. A random sample of recipients of the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) in New York State was used. (MLW)

Empirical data were gathered from married students concerning sources and amount of annual resources and monthly and yearly expenditures in relation to selected demographic characteristics, such as level of enrollment, number of years married, number of children, and place of residence. These data were compared to university-established budgets…

A study of staffing averages at institutions categorized by numbers of financial aid applicants provides a gauge by which institutions may evaluate staffing levels. The data are intended to be useful to financial aid administrators in evaluating the adequacy of the numbers and types of their staff. (MLW)

The impact of an academic progress policy implemented at Cleveland State University is reviewed and evaluated with a focus on: the methodology used in identifying students affected by the academic progress policy; student characteristics; possible misuse of Title IV funds; and benefits and future of the policy. (MLW)

A study of 89 Basic Educational Opportunity Grants requiring validation disclosed some disheartening data: an overall total understatement of $54,982 in adjusted gross income and a total overstatement of $1,164 paid in U.S. income taxes. This data was compared to the institutional cost of the validation process. (MLW)

Educational policy has been directed toward assuring students access to some form of postsecondary education regardless of their financial or socioeconomic circumstances. Trends in enrollments of low-income freshman students are examined. Evidence indicates that college access by low-income students may have reached a plateau. (MLW)

A large survey of postsecondary students in California was used to test the sensitivity of alternate definitions of the independent student population on the number and proportion of independent students, to trace the cost implications of these alternate definitions, and to offer conclusions about the effects of these definitional changes. (MLW)