This report looks at trends since 1997, uniquely combining several data sources to give the most comprehensive view available on how patterns in access to higher education have changed in the years between 1997 and 2022. A major study of higher education trends over the past 25 years reveals persistent access gaps for disadvantaged students,…

Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 107,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. With almost 90 percent of students coming from Pennsylvania and the vast majority of graduates…

Access to universities across the United Kingdom remains a challenge despite improvements in recent years. Those challenges are still more marked in Scotland than in the other nations, as this report shows. This report lays bare the extent of the challenge. Scotland has a different approach to higher education. It no longer charges tuition fees,…

The Department of Education is vitally interested in whether the financial incentives provided by the grants affect student behavior. That is, will the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACGs) induce more economically disadvantaged high school students to complete a rigorous high school program and enroll and succeed in postsecondary education? Will…

This demographic overview summarizes some major findings from national surveys reported by the Census Bureau in 1990. Statistical data are drawn from the Current Population Survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and the American Housing Survey. The following trends are reported: (1) the decline in average household size begun in…

Using High School and Beyond longitudinal data for 1980, this paper shows that government subsidized student aid substantially improved access to higher education for low income individuals. The analysis also shows that wealth neutrality (equal probability of college attendance across all incomes) was not achieved. (10 references) (MLH)

This study examined whether the provision of AUSTUDY improved educational participation in Australian higher education and improved access for certain disadvantaged groups. It also examined corporate knowledge about AUSTUDY, the impact of the initiative on educational participation across income groups and geographic regions, and lessons learned.…

This report summarizes data on access to postsecondary education for students from low income families. From a national perspective, access to postsecondary education for students from low-income families is less now than at any time since 1970. By income quartile, in 1996 the chance that students from families with an annual income below $24,500…

The "Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005" created two new grant programs for undergraduates: the Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) program and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (National SMART) Grant program. The ACG program is intended to encourage students to take challenging courses in high school and thus…

The nature and extent of corrections made to their records by zero/low income applicants to the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) program was investigated. Behaviors of zero/low income applicants and the total pool of applicants were also compared. It was found that zero/low income applicants and all applicants who were rejected displayed…

This report describes the activities of the Higher Education Opportunity Programs (HEOP) at the independent colleges and universities in New York State for the 1990-91 academic year. HEOP is a program that helps academically and economically disadvantaged students earn college degrees. Highlights of the report include the following: (1) in 1990-91…

This evaluation of the services and short-term impact of the 1987/88 Career Beginnings (CB) program found an increase in the average rate of college attendance of participants in the year following high school graduation. Career Beginnings targets urban high school juniors from low-income families who demonstrate average academic performance and…

This book provides basic data on educational attainment, achievement, and practices for each state and the United States as a whole, with a focus on the academic-achievement gap between minority and white students. The first part provides an overview of the national picture of education, describing academic achievement, expenditures and…

This report presents the results of a study that was conducted concerning the progress through the educational system, since the enactment of the Higher Education Act of 1965, of four large groups of Americans: women, Blacks, Hispanics, and low family income students. The study found that women have made steady and substantial progress over the…

Results of a 1983 evaluation of Pennsylvania's ACT 101 programs, which provide support services to educationally and economically disadvantaged college students, are presented. Attention focuses on: the achievement and persistence of this population of students in 1975, 1977, and 1979; the attitudes of currently enrolled students; the attitudes…