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,…

The impact of changing the definition of independent student status on demand for student financial aid funds is assessed. The current definition of independent students is based on: the amount of money received from parents, living separate from parents, and not being claimed as a dependent on the parents' federal income tax form. Two proposals…

A study analyzing the impact of a recently proposed Department of Education independent student definition on Illinois Pell Grant applicants, identifying those program applicants who changed their status from dependent to independent in 1981-82 and 1982-83, and analyzing the effect of their status change on their eligibility is reported. (MSE)

The author asserts that current federal education policy and student aid programs effectively discriminate against older, part-time, low income students. She calls for changes aimed at achieving equity for adult, part-time learners when the Higher Education Act is considered for reauthorization. (SK)

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…

Proposed levels of federal aid to college students and the national economic context are considered. Compared to fiscal year 1985 and 1986 budgets, the Reagan administration has requested $2.3 billion less in various financial aid programs. It has proposed legislation limiting federal grants, direct loans, or work study jobs to students from…

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…

Issues in student financial need analysis are considered, based on the work of the Committee on Standards of Ability to Pay (CSAP) of the College Scholarship Service. The three major sections of the paper concern: CSAP's preliminary recommendations for changes in the 1986-1987 Uniform Methodology; a review of some of the methodological issues that…

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…

Silber's proposed Tuition Advance Fund for undergraduate student financial aid is criticized. It is suggested that what the TAF would do is substitute the student's borrowing from the government for what the parents now contribute to higher educaiton. (LBH)

Current federal definitions and proposed alternative definitions of financially independent students, and the effect of the definitions on the numbers and attributes of independent students, are reviewed. Current federal law defines financial aid applicants as financially independent of their parents if they meet three criteria (the "tri-form"…

A status report for the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant Program (Basic Grant Program) for the 1976-1977 academic year is presented. Information is provided on: applicants for the 1976-1977 year; program trends for academic years 1973-1974 through 1976-1977; the number of Basic Grant recipients and nonqualifying applicants for 1976-1977 by…

A proposed Tuition Advance Fund is advocated as a solution to the student financial aid and loan default problem for undergraduate students in degree programs at accredited institutions. Qualifying students could borrow funds for three years and repay in the future through payroll withholding or estimated tax payments. (LBH)

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 definition of independent student that is used in determining eligibility for federal student financial aid is examined, along with potential compliance problems for independent students and differential treatment of independent and dependent students. Major factors for defining independence for students receiving federal financial aid are:…