This article analyzes U.S. Department of Education data on appropriations on Pell Grants using the new Mission-Driven Classification (MDC) to disaggregate enrollment, finance, and need-based Pell Grant data by major public higher education sector and, within community colleges, by geography (rural, suburban, and urban) as well as by the presence…

In response to Fischer (HE 527 626), the author considers his proposal to simplify need analysis in Pell grants and other federal need-based student aid as ignoring important considerations. It is suggested that a single formula will be difficult to derive until a coherent philosophy of needs analysis and specific current purpose for the grant…

Examines how undergraduate persistence is related to unmet financial need and amount of gift aid. For students who received varying amounts of gift aid, persistence is studied as it relates to the percent of the total aid package. Results indicate that level of unmet need is more predictable of a student's ability to persist than is percentage of…

In response to Fischer (HE 527 626), the author considers his proposal to simplify and unify the need analysis used in the Pell grant program and other federal need-based student aid to be useful and well designed, avoiding some common political considerations as it improves procedures and increases equity. The alternative cost-saving aspects of…

In order to meet two key objectives, enrollment managers at colleges and universities make extensive use of single equation probability models. The first objective is to generate sufficient financial resources to educate the students enrolled. The more dependent the institution is on tuition revenues, the more important is this objective. The…

This paper outlines the major issues to be considered, and the tasks to be undertaken, by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance's Subcommittee on Need Analysis and Delivery System. In particular, the subcommittee's plans to address the following three areas are described: (1) opportunities for further simplification and…

An agenda for research on financial issues in graduate education is proposed for the National Commission for Student Financial Assistance, based on the stipulations of Public Law 96-374, Section 491, part (7)(A). Research needs are as follows: (1) to determine the extent to which students may be dissuaded from pursuing graduate education on…

Discusses federal student financial aid, focusing on direct grant aid programs that serve needy students attending community colleges. Presents recent data showing that lower-income students attending community colleges are likely to receive less direct grant aid than those attending for-profit proprietary two-year institutions. (Contains 26…

This report uses government data to review current, past, and proposed tax-based policies and programs to promote college affordability as well as need-based grant aid. Tax-incentive-based programs include savings bonds for education, employer-provided educational assistance, state college savings plans, deductibility of student loan interest,…

Federal policies toward higher education and their interaction (or lack of interaction) with state policies are described. Characterized are the differing historical roles played by the state and federal governments in shaping American higher education. Administrative arrangements, types, and dimensions of federal funding for students and…

The application of professional judgment in reviewing and, if necessary, adjusting the results of need analyses in student financial aid is discussed. Specifically, guidelines and alternatives are provided that may be exercised in determining a family's reasonable ability to provide for postsecondary educational expenses. The following topics are…

As part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 the Congress has examined concerns that the process of applying for aid under the Act's Title IV has become increasingly complex and may itself be creating barriers to an equitable student aid delivery system. Under the current system students are required to provide financial…

More than $25 billion in financial aid in 1988 is awarded annually to students attending postsecondary education. The aid covers about the same percentage of college costs that it did in 1970, but the impact of veterans' education benefits and social security benefits is no longer significant, and loans now make up one-half the total aid, having…

In the United States, society and individuals share the expenses of collegiate education, making it possible to provide higher education for a much larger percentage of youth than in many countries. At the same time, maintenance of low tuitions through public subsidies has provided reasonable assurance of accessibility and equality of public…

Current issues concerning changing values in higher education in relationship to existing programs and policies are considered. The following questions are addressed: Is there a middle income squeeze? Is there evidence of decreasing rates of participation among middle-income families in higher education? Is there evidence of substantial decreases…