Over the past four decades, policymakers have developed numerous policies and programs with the goal of increasing college enrollment. Despite the apparent plentitude of policies and programs, however, college access and choice for recent high school graduates remain stratified by socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. By characterizing the ways…

Federal Student Aid's core mission is to ensure that all eligible Americans benefit from federal financial assistance--grants, loans and work-study programs--for education beyond high school. The programs administered comprise the nation's largest source of student aid: during the 2007-08 school year alone, approximately $83 billion in new aid was…

This paper provides recommendations for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a demonstration program designed to assess direct lending as a replacement for the current federal student loan program. It offers a list of principles which the demonstration project should address. Recommendations include: (1) maintenance of student…

The problem of managing collection efforts on defaulted student loans under the guaranteed student loan program is discussed. This review was made to assist the Office of Education in developing collection guidelines and procedures to cope more effectively with the rapidly increasing backlog of defaulted loans. It is shown that changes in policy…

Procedures for validating data reported by students and parents on an application for Basic Educational Opportunity Grants were developed in 1978 for the U.S. Office of Education (OE). Validation activities include: validation of flagged Student Eligibility Reports (SERs) for students whose schools are part of the Alternate Disbursement System;…

This report describes federal, California state, and private student financial aid programs; ways to improve chances of receiving aid; and programs for special populations. Information is provided on the following sources of aid: (1) federal (Pell Grants, National Direct Student Loans (NDSL), Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG),…

A number of recommendations regarding federal educational legislation are made in this 1982 edition of a New York State publication that discusses key statutory, budget, and regulatory issues of concern to the state. The document begins with a general examination of the federal role in education and then suggests guidelines for federal education…

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…

This workbook assists college and vocational school bound American Indian students in determining their financial needs and in locating sources of financial aid. A checklist helps students assess the state of their knowledge of financial programs; a glossary defines terms pertinent to the realm of financial aid (i.e., graduate study programs,…

This guide suggests ways that states may expend their federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and State Maintenance-of-Effort (MOE) funds. The guide is organized into these seven sections: (1) "Introduction" provides background information, explaining the progress that has been made on welfare reform, what the funding…

Student financial assistance has long been a means to promote access to postsecondary education and attainment of college degrees. Numerous types of financial aid programs have proliferated over the years, including a relatively new concept that specifically targets high-risk, low-income students, focusing not just on getting them to go to college…

Nontraditional students are the fastest-growing segment of the postsecondary population. About 41% of students are over 25, and nearly 12% are over 40. Previously, the bulk of financial aid went to traditional-age, usually full-time, students in degree programs. Today, however, the sheer numbers of nontraditional students, including distance…