The federal/state partnership in providing student financial assistance and the interest of the federal government in maintaining this state commitment to assist needy students are examined. The State Student Incentive Grant (SSIG) program, which was begun in 1974, was designed to provide an incentive for states to develop and maintain student…

The role of the federal government in authorizing tuition savings plans and the relationship of these incentives to more traditional student aid programs are examined. Most of the recent proposals to provide incentives for families to save for their children's education would allow tax breaks. For example, the Reagan administration proposal would…

Ideas for federal student aid programs that are based on merit or academic achievement are discussed, along with the relationship of this approach to other federal student aid programs. Attention is focused on rewarding merit to the undergraduate student. Recent proposals have been introduced in Congress to promote academic excellence and to…

The merits of providing more loan opportunities to parents and students and the implications of this growing reliance on borrowing are considered. The objective is to clarify the alternative federal aid approaches that will be discussed as part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Federally-sponsored loan programs include Guaranteed…