This Critical Discourse Analysis looks at the perspectives and experiences of academic advisors regarding incarceration to determine how discourses might impact college access for this emerging student population. Key implications of this work demonstrate that (a) academic advisors are not aware of how to best support students with incarceration…

With the rising costs of tuition, many students may feel the need to work to keep up with the expense of their studies. Student work may lead to more on-the-job training and a larger professional network, but it can also divert time away from studying and reduce academic performance. For many students, Pell Grants defray a significant portion (if…

The Pell Grant is the cornerstone of the federal student aid programs, providing need-based grant aid to the country's lowest-income postsecondary students. Pell Grants have failed for decades to keep pace with increased college costs and inflation. Doubling the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000 will effectively recalibrate the grant and restore its…

Students in private, nonprofit (independent) higher education institutions, particularly those who are economically disadvantaged, often struggle with the costs of course materials like textbooks. However, much less is known about these students and how to assist them with these cost barriers compared to their peers at public institutions. It is…

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) seeks to improve student outcomes by promoting a variety of student success efforts. These efforts include direct programs with well-defined target populations and program participants, offering specific student support services following a program model, and indirect programs aimed at…

Nontuition expenses--including housing, food, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses, in addition to books and supplies--constitute a significant financial burden for many students pursuing higher education, even if they receive grant aid to help them pay tuition and fees. Well-designed policy interventions at both the federal and state levels…

Fewer young adults believe college is important, only about one-third of the American public has confidence in higher education. A recent study from Pew Research Center revealed that Americans are increasingly concerned about affordability, access, and the overall payoff of a college degree. Meanwhile, technological advances and AI have begun to…

This project outlines a four-course service-learning concentration within an environmental science or environmental studies degree at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts (Suffolk). Service-learning components were developed in the 2018-2019 academic year with the help of a grant from the Campuses for Environmental Stewardship Program. The…

Building on the theoretical framework of social contact theory, this article explores what it means to feel a sense of belonging, and how colleges and universities can equip students to enter a diverse, fractured world with a mindset of hospitality. 12 Christian Colleges and Universities share insights and best practices from creative programs…

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 Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship (TELS) program was designed to meet the unique needs of the State of Tennessee, while also incorporating the hallmark elements of existing merit-based aid programs in other states. This manuscript provides a snapshot of TELS recipients and their outcomes, including narrative discussion on the current…

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…

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…

A concern in higher education policy is that students are taking longer to graduate. One possible reason for this observation is an increase in off-campus labor market participation among college students. Financial aid may play a role in the labor/study choice of college students--as college becomes more affordable, students my substitute away…

The long-term financial viability of private higher education has been a topic of concern for some time, with experts predicting their decline. This concern has been exacerbated by declining enrollment, mounting deficits, and a wave of closures among small private institutions. Demographic changes, including declining high school graduate…