New Jersey's state grant program delivers the highest level of need-based aid per student in the country. And the state's major grant program, the Tuition Aid Grant (TAG), funds all eligible students, rather than excluding students when the funding runs out. But different levels of grant aid for enrollment in different institutions within sectors,…

Under current law, students pursuing an undergraduate degree in the United States are considered financially independent (from their parents) for the purposes of financial aid if, among other conditions, they are 24 years of age or older. When students' parents are able to pay, considering them financially independent may result in more generous…

The definition of the independent college student is discussed in hearings that are part of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The importance of the definition has increased as the amount of federal dollars for student aid programs has declined or remained constant and the number of students requiring aid has increased. The current…

The distribution of Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) funds was investigated by the General Accounting Office. The SEOG program is a campus-based aid program that provides money to schools, which then distribute it to students. Attention was directed to the following concerns: the kinds of schools that receive SEOG funds, the…

Application forms for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) Program for 1974-1975 were compared to Internal Revenue Service (IRA) tax forms to determine the scope of applicants' misreporting and to identify categories of applicants who tend to misreport. A total of 70,063 tax forms and BEOG records from eligible and ineligible applicants…

Student aid records from a national sample of aid recipients attending independent colleges and universities with enrollments of more than 500 students were evaluated. It was found that recent reductions in federal student assistance and restrictions placed on program eligibility reduced substantially the number and proportion of low-income…

The nature and extent of misreporting by applicants for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant program was investigated. Types of potential program abuse were assessed, along with the accuracy of income estimates that students make on Supplemental Basic Grant applications, which are the basis for determining a student's eligibility. Attention was…

The impacts of legislated changes in both program recipients and federal costs of the Pell Grant Program are analyzed, such as the resulting numbers of dependent and independent recipients. These include the changes in award amounts received by students and the effects of particular new provisions of the grant program on its costs. (Author/MSE)

This report on need analysis and student aid delivery issues in higher education describes four sets of actions taken by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. First, the Committee voted to forward to the Congress specific recommended actions concerning technical aspects of need analysis which are designed to improve the delivery…

Reporting of zero/low income by applicants for Basic Educational Opportunity Grants (BEOGs) was studied, with attention to the extent that such reporting was inaccurate. The BEOG applicant database was studied to gain understanding of the characteristics of those who report zero-income on Basic Grant applications. A random sample of 400,000 BEOG…

The impact of a new policy in Minnesota that raised college tuition while also increasing state student aid funding was studied. A literature review examines the influence of economic, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors on student attendance patterns. In addition to access, choice, and persistence, the study considered educational…

Trends in college participation are examined as evidence of how the nation is doing in improving educational opportunity. Attention is directed to changes in the college participation rates of dependent and independent students, blacks and whites, males and females, and different income groups between 1969 and 1981. Influences, such as college…

Volume IV of a study of program management procedures in the campus-based and Basic Educational Opportunity Grant (BEOG) programs deals with a set of simulated modifications in the statements made by BEOG applicants about their financial circumstances. Various kinds of misrepresentation of income, assets, and other factors are postulated, and the…

The scope and operation of student financial aid programs in New York State are described, and suggestions to improve access are offered. The following state-administered programs are examined: the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), Regents scholarships, and student loan programs. Data are provided on the types of student aid and numbers of new…

The effect of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 on college and university revenues and expenditures is reviewed. Institutional revenues are derived primarily from five sources: tuition, charitable contributions, debt financing, endowment income, and governmental appropriations. The effect of the new law on family and student income, savings, student…