As with the collapse of the subprime lending industry, the showdown between for-profit colleges and the government shows how the aspirations of the underserved, when combined with lax regulation, make the rich, richer and the poor, poorer. For-profit colleges provide high-cost degree programs that have little chance of leading to high-paying…

This document raises several points of discussion concerning higher education aid and its recipients. Increasing use of federal higher education aid by middle-class and wealthy students is costly to taxpayers, contributes to student indebtedness, and fosters greater individual and institutional dependency. The document recommends Congress restore…

The annual survey by the College Board of student financial aid traces development of a system that has grown dramatically, is now dominated by federal student loan programs, and has undergone a long-term shift in purpose from creating access for the disadvantaged to broadening choice and convenience for the middle class. These developments have…

The purposes, accomplishments, and future of the Higher Education Act are considered in hearings of the U.S. House of Representatives. A brief history of the Higher Education Act over the 20 years since its inception in 1965 is traced, and the role of the federal government in higher education is addressed. The centerpiece of the legislation was…