Financial aid plays a significant role for many students when deciding to pursue a postsecondary education. The California State University (CSU) prides itself on making education available and affordable, and about 80% of attending students are receiving financial aid (California State University, n.d.-e). With so many students relying on aid,…

Community colleges have maintained a mission and commitment to open access. Likewise, Federal Pell Grants have historically served as a primary means for low income populations to afford higher education. Thus, community college students and Federal Pell Grants are important parts of the American higher education landscape and a mode of social and…

A survey of California college and university financial aid offices resulted in a rank-ordered list of 39 chronic stressors and similar rankings of stressors for each sector and job classification, and by employee gender. (MSE)

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 report on the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) Program in the California community colleges discusses the repayment of student loans and recommends strategies for reducing default rates. Introductory material highlights the following trends: (1) financial aid programs for low-income students have failed to keep pace with demand; (2) by 1983,…