Within California, there is widespread understanding and consensus that college affordability is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Along with this consensus on the nature and implications of California's college affordability problems, there is also emerging agreement about how to tackle it. While this convergence can form the backbone of a…

This E.D. TAB presents selected findings about the price of attendance and the types and amounts of financial aid received by in-state undergraduates enrolled in public 2-year, public 4-year, and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions during the 2003-04 academic year in 12 selected states. It is based on the undergraduate data in the 2003-04…

In this study on financial aid to students in higher education, descriptive data are provided on differences found among states, institutional sectors, and income groups with respect to student costs and sources of funding, the reduction in cost of attendance due to the distribution of aid, and the resulting amount of overmet or undermet financial…

The purposes and known effects of student financial aid programs in U.S. higher education are reviewed. The rationale for the creation of federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs is considered, including state grant and scholarship programs, independent college programs, work-study programs, special purpose programs, and private…

Reasons for the increasing numbers of independent college students are considered, with attention to the provision for independent students in the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (Pell) program. The availability of grants to independent students may have two consequences: college students under age 22 with access to parental resources might…

The California Student Aid Commission's comparison of the Uniform Methodology, the California Grant Programs, and institutional procedures for determining student financial contribution is summarized. The only consistent relationship found was in total student financial responsibility. An alternative model for coordinating state and institutional…

Presented in both English and Spanish language formats, this workbook explains how California residents can qualify for and obtain student financial aid in the form of federal and state grants and loans, work-study programs, institutional grants, federal campus-based programs, and the Federal Family Education Loan Program loans. A calendar of…

The paper addresses California state funding of higher education in the context of an anticipated increase in enrollment in the near future. It traces the policies of funding the system from 1990 to 1995. Simultaneous studies in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota and New York provide data for comparative analysis. The paper examines factors influencing…

The financing of higher education opportunities in California and the impact of current financial aid programs upon the formal structure of higher education and upon students is addressed. The issue of how Californians see student financial aid with particular emphasis on the extent of their understanding and the degree of their support is…

As a part of a study on financing higher education in California, information is presented on student loans and alternative methods of financing. Part 1 reviews problems caused by a heavy reliance on the federal Guaranteed Student Loan program (GSL). It discusses troubles of the GSL program; the lack of policy purpose; program costs; defaults;…

Financial aid can encourage students to enroll in college and increase their odds of academic success. While the California community colleges (CCCs) have very low fees, which are waived for most low-income students, the additional expenses of books, supplies, transportation, housing, food and childcare can create significant financial barriers to…

As part of a series of field hearings across the nation on the reauthorization of the Higher Education of 1965, the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met in Pleasant Hill, California, to hear testimony specifically on access to education for children of lower and middle class families in California. Discussed were the rising cost of higher…

The way public college students finance college was studied, based on student resource and expenditure surveys from four states: Arizona, California, New York, and Wisconsin. Comparisons were made of demographic and academic variables, as well as expenditure patterns of students receiving different kinds of aid. The following four aid recipient…

Characteristics of students and their family/personal income was studied for each of the four segments of California higher education to determine how college costs were met. Data sources were the 1982-1983 Student Expenses and Resources Survey (SEARS) and student data files. Major findings include the following: In 1982, more than 300,000…