The purpose of this audit was to determine whether Federal Student Aid (FSA) was effectively implementing the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education (FUTURE) Act and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Simplification Act's provisions pertaining to Federal taxpayer information (FTI) through the Student…

This paper examines the effects of Pell Grant eligibility on student outcomes. Using a regression discontinuity (RD) design and a partial identification approach, the study provides bounds on the treatment effects that account for selection bias arising from the loss of grant eligibility. While initial eligibility is determined by financial need…

Accreditation is a major barrier to higher education reform. Constitutional or not, accreditors are an administrative anomaly: private nonprofit agencies that nonetheless possess life-and-death power over higher education. To maintain federal funding, universities must satisfy the administrative requirements and whims of these unelected entities.…

Earlier this year, Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced the College Cost Reduction Act (CCRA), a bill to reform higher education grant and loan programs and to establish new accountability rules for colleges. A key part of the bill would replace the myriad income-driven repayment (IDR) plans for federal student loans, including the Biden…

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), previously named the Veterans Administration, has been providing veterans educational assistance benefits, including GI Bill benefits, since 1944. The benefits have been intended, at various times, to compensate for compulsory service, encourage voluntary service, prevent unemployment, provide…

For the Department of Education's State-administered formula grant programs, obligations must be made by the grantee or subgrantee by the end of the "carryover" or Tydings Period, which allows funds to be obligated for an additional fiscal year beyond the fiscal year for which they were appropriated. These timely obligations may be…

The external resources identified in the Research Catalog are an indication of the national competitiveness of the universities in the state of Mississippi and of the quality research and sponsored programs they conduct. These resources provide essential funds to the state's public universities which strengthen the research, teaching, and service…

This paper used Social Security Administration program data from 2005 to 2019 to examine national- and state-level changes in the number of new adult supplemental security income (SSI) awardees on the autism spectrum relative to awardees with intellectual disability and other mental health disorders. We identified three main findings: the number…

Community colleges serve the largest percentage of under-represented, under-prepared, and under-resourced students yet they are often underfunded in state budgets. This article demonstrates challenges and opportunities for community college leaders in state and federal political advocacy from the perspective of a community college state system…

Created in 1972, the Pell Grant program awards grants to low-income students to help pay for whatever accredited U.S. college they choose. Totaling $28.4 billion in 2019-20, the program is the most significant source of federal student aid for college. However, as the program turns 50 this year, many advocates are hoping to expand its reach and…

The affordability gap between college costs and available financial resources was a barrier to college access before COVID-19, but the pandemic deepened basic-needs insecurity and highlighted unmet need--the shortfall between students' total costs and the funds available to them through grants or family support. The Higher Education Emergency…

Purpose: We used data from the National Survey of Children's Health to (1) examine differences in economic hardship and safety net program use after the implementation of federal relief efforts, and (2) assess whether the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated autism-based disparities in hardship and program use. Methods: We examined five dimensions of…

Objective/Research Question: This study explores the potential for virtual international exchange to serve as a high impact practice that improves academic outcomes, defined credential completion, and GPA among low-income students enrolled at two community colleges in the U.S. Southeast. Specifically, we ask: What is the relationship between…

Paying for college is often a family affair, with both parents and students contributing. We study the effects of college on family finances using administrative data on the universe of federal aid applicants in California linked to credit records. We provide the first comprehensive analysis of how both students and their parents use debt with…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Congress has allocated just under $190 billion to support K-12 education. As Maria Ferguson explains, these much-needed funds will require states and districts to make plans for how best to use them, and the planning process is complicated in districts that are already stretched and facing…