This paper studies families' capacity to pay for college in the United States, focusing on changes over time and differences by race and socioeconomic status. I use data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) to document changes over time in the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid…

The challenges facing higher education institutions across this country continue to increase, becoming more and more complex with each passing semester. Higher education administrators and those who aspire to be such must constantly stay abreast of all potential adverse issues, but especially those that affect the educational success of our…

The Minimum Income Standard (MIS) is an approach developed by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University to determine how much money different groups in the population need to have for a minimum acceptable standard of living. This Report, published by HEPI and TechnologyOne in partnership with CRSP, develops a MIS…

This brief presents the results of a fiscal analysis of the Iowa Education Savings Account Program. The Iowa Education Savings Account Program offers eligible parents the opportunity to receive their children's per-pupil state funding directly into a parent-controlled education savings account (ESA), a fund earmarked for educational expenses. This…

With higher education costs consistently outpacing inflation and public funding declining, college affordability has become a critical barrier to economic mobility for middle- and low-income families. While College Savings Accounts (CSAs), or 529 plans, offer tax-advantaged vehicles for college savings, their adoption patterns and educational…

Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) are government-funded accounts typically established for parents who opt not to enroll their children in public kindergarten through grade 12 (K--12) schools. ESAs allow parents to spend funds that the state would have spent for their student to attend their local public school on a broad array of educational…

In Australia, a range of financial services, including education bonds, high interest personal loans and credit card debt, have long been used to help families pay for the cost of schooling. However, innovative financial technology (fintech) solutions are emerging which align with the growth of a lower risk 'buy now, pay later' phenomenon.…

Purpose: This study uses data from the 2019 China Institute for Educational Finance Research Household Survey to investigate expenditure on children's education in China. Design/Approach/Methods: Using descriptive and regression analysis, this study analyzes the level and structure of household expenditure on children's education, the associated…

In the first report in a three-part series on financial aid leveraging, Stephen Burd details how Baylor University used predatory inclusion practices in their financial aid policies by steering the families of low-income students to Parent PLUS loans to fill substantial financial aid gaps, potentially causing them significant financial distress.…

The report examines how enrolled undergraduate students and parents of undergraduates view higher education and how they pay for it. The report considers education funding sources--from parent and student income and savings to scholarships, grants, and borrowed funds--and evaluates trends in payment strategies over time. This 17th edition provides…

The Parent PLUS loan covers the financial gap of a student's educational expenses after other forms of financial assistance. Depending on the unmet need, the PLUS loan amount borrowed can be tens of thousands of dollars for a single academic year. In this research article, I provide results from evaluating financial aid offers at Missouri public,…

Parent-generated revenue in public schools, in the form of fee-giving or fundraising, is fast developing as a robust source of financial revenue for public schools in OECD countries. In this paper we draw on a comprehensive empirical dataset of parent-generated financial revenue for public schools located in New South Wales, Australia. We draw on…

Financial aid programs enable students from families with fewer financial resources to pay less to attend college than other students from families with greater financial resources. When income is uncertain, a means-tested financial aid formula that requires more of an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) when income and assets are high and less of…

Students are experiencing difficulty with online learning because it requires infrastructure, such as internet access that needs to be purchased. This study examined whether online lectures increase or decrease family/student expenses on education using a qualitative approach. Data on education expenditures were collected by interviewing 736…

Support for higher education is a known and well-documented venue for financial transfers within families, but practices of family support beyond college are less understood. Drawing on interviews with recent master's degrees recipients who have student debt, I find key class differences in the process and forms of family financial assistance for…