A postsecondary degree is widely promoted as a great intergenerational economic equalizer for individuals born into disadvantaged economic circumstances. Yet, there is little empirical evidence documenting the extent that this may be true and whether people from all racial and ethnic, and language backgrounds are benefitting equally. We provide a…

Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329, as amended) authorizes the primary sources of federal aid to support postsecondary education students. Title IV programs made over $118 billion in aid available to postsecondary students in FY2020 through Direct Loans and other forms of aid, including $27 billion in Pell Grants. The…

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329, as amended), authorizes numerous federal aid programs that provide support to both individuals pursuing a postsecondary education and institutions of higher education (IHEs). The FAFSA Simplification Act (FSA; Title VII, Division FF of P.L. 116-260) makes significant changes to the underlying…

The real price of college keeps rising, and it often surprises students and their families.1 People know tuition is expensive. They also usually account for books and supplies, even if they might cost more than expected. Still, they don't always expect or fully understand how the price of housing, food, and transportation factor in. It's not their…

In a joint fact sheet, The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) and National Student Legal Defense Network (Student Defense) partnered to provide key facts about the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and how it can undermine student protections.

The resources that federal financial aid, state financial aid, and federal public benefits programs provide, when they operate effectively, are critical to older students and students with children. This report seeks to shed light on how these programs are functioning by analyzing data and policies across four states--Colorado, Missouri, North…

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the financial aid personnel's perspective on the impacts of middle-income student loan borrowing. Student loan borrowing is a concern for many due to the current debt reaching extraordinary amounts. This research explored the impacts specifically on middle-income students as opposed to low- or…

The goal of this study is to compare the likelihood of student loan default by students from a Midwest public university amongst a variety of variables. A dataset was acquired from an institution in the Midwest. A logistic regression was run to determine the predictive value of several identifiers on student loan default amongst several race…

Community college baccalaureates (CCBs) provide an affordable pathway to baccalaureate-level education but increasing tuition rates present a potential financial barrier for students. Institutional aid as a cost-constraining mechanism has historically been less utilized in the 2-year sector when compared to traditional 4-year institutions. Yet,…

Promise programs are discussed as a policy movement that began with the 2005 launch of the Kalamazoo Promise. Since then, programs bearing the Promise label or sharing similar features have spread across the higher educational landscape, appearing in most states and across postsecondary sectors. Simultaneously, scholarly literature discussing…

College attendance has increased significantly over the last few decades, but dropout rates remain high, with fewer than half of all adults ultimately obtaining a postsecondary credential. This project investigates whether one-on-one college coaching improves college attendance and completion outcomes for former low- and middle-income income state…

Congress determined that because military service in Iraq and Afghanistan following September 11, 2001, was particularly challenging, servicemembers from that era deserved a veterans educational assistance program more robust than those otherwise available at the time. The Post-9/11 GI Bill was designed to provide more generous benefits than the…

This research examines the relationship between financial aid, price, and the enrollment decisions of first-generation college students. Using human capital and socio-cultural theories in conjunction with previous research, the study establishes a conceptual framework to assess how personal, academic, and college variables associate with a…

Government programs impose eligibility requirements to balance the goals of improving welfare while minimizing waste. We study the impact of eligibility monitoring in the context of Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) submissions, where students may be subject to "verification" requirements that require them to confirm…

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Committee on Education and the Workforce that was held to examine the implications of Biden's student loan policies for students and taxpayers. Member statements were provided by: (1) Honorable Burgess Owens, Chairman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development; and (2)…