MDRC is pleased to provide testimony on college access and completion to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. Access to college has increased substantially over the last 50 years, but student success--defined as the combination of academic success and degree or certificate completion--has not kept pace. Student success,…

The Federal Work-Study program was introduced as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, with the goal of enabling low-income students to work their way through college. It is thus one of the earliest forms of federal financial aid for college, pre-dating both Pell Grants and Stafford Loans. Since its inception, FWS has provided institutions…

A quality education is the primary instrument of social and economic mobility in the United States. As open-access institutions, community colleges are the gateway to postsecondary education for millions of Americans. Many of these students would be unable to afford college without federal resources, such as student financial aid and tax credits.…

This report asserts that college work-study programs have been very successful in creating wage-paying jobs for low-income students who need funds for college expenses. There are compelling reasons to build on this legacy of college work-study to create new work-study initiatives designed explicitly for welfare recipients. Some of the key program…

This review of the connection between student financial aid and student access to and success in higher education draws on existing research on these issues and makes recommendations for national policy on student aid and higher education. The resulting recommendations are: (1) create a new federal strategy, the College Success Program (CSP) that…

Information is provided on 14 federal programs providing financial assistance to undergraduate students in universities, colleges, and vocational/technical schools. The programs provide three different types of assistance: grants (or scholarships), loans, and job earnings. Grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, but loans do. Some of the…

Analysis of data on student financial aid from a variety of sources is reported and shows that the funding levels for all financial aid programs have increased substantially in recent years. This is especially true for Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, which have become an important factor in equalizing educational opportunity. However, the…

This handbook is intended primarily to help postsecondary institutions administer the major federal student financial aid programs: Basic Educational Opportunity Grants (BEOG), Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), College Work-Study (CWS), National Direct Student Loans (NDSL), Guaranteed Student Loans (GSL), Health Education…

This monograph describes and analyzes major federal and state student financial assistance programs. Chief among those reviewed are the Basic and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, National Direct Student Loans, State Student Incentive Grants, the Guaranteed Student Loans, College Work Study, and the G.I. Bill. The paper explains how…

This document identifies and describes the sources of public support for postsecondary vocational training in the United States, including the mix of public assistance that is currently available to economically disadvantaged individuals. Following an introduction, the second section is an overview of the general financing situation. Tables report…

Volume II of a study of program management procedures in the campus-based and Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) programs examines the overall pattern of program funding levels, the distribution of these funds to students and institutions, as well as variations in student participation in postsecondary education and loan-work burdens in…

The United States is losing high-paying jobs to countries that produce a more reliable supply of college graduates in math and science. Texas faces its own economic slowdown if it is unable to graduate more students with bachelor's degrees. The state has been addressing many of the obstacles students face in earning a four-year degree. Outreach…

This report examines best practices in the delivery of Student Support Services (SSS), one of the three Special Programs for Disadvantaged Students known as the TRIO programs. Data have shown that participation in student support services has a positive effect on student outcomes, but many participants do not receive enough services to receive…