Years of research support the notion that financial aid can influence students' postsecondary decisions, but questions remain about the best ways to design and implement such programs and policies. This paper serves as a discussion of the research literature on the effectiveness of financial aid with special attention to its implications for…

In the search for a viable twenty-first century cost-sharing contract between university, student and state, the issues of rising participation and student demand, functional differentiation, institutional competition and stratification and social inequality are systematically discussed. The argument develops through, firstly, a critical appraisal…

College student debt and loan default are growing concerns in the United States. For each U.S. institution, the federal government is now reporting a cohort default rate, which is the percent of students who defaulted on their loan, averaged over a three-year period. Previous studies have amply shown that student characteristics are strongly…

In 2007-08, approximately 21 million students were enrolled in undergraduate postsecondary education in the United States. These Web Tables provide a comprehensive source of information on financial aid that was awarded to undergraduate students during the 2007-08 academic year. Included are estimates of tuition, price of attendance, and financial…

Since the 1940s, public officials at the local, state and federal levels have used student loan forgiveness programs to attract individuals to critically needed occupations and underserved communities. In exchange for a work commitment, the loan program forgives (or repays) an amount of the employee's student loan. Traditionally, these programs…

Using a longitudinal, state-wide dataset, this study assessed the effect of financial aid on the persistence of full-time students in associate's degree programs at the Oklahoma community colleges. Three financial-aid sources were examined: the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP), Pell grants, and Stafford loans. Results indicate that…

Certain forms of financial aid were studied to determine the academic and personal background of the recipients and if the aid promoted college attendance, academic achievement, and personal development. The subjects were full-time and received scholarships or grants awarded specifically to low-income students; those with other forms of aid were…

In response to a request from the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, this report summarizes findings of the General Accounting Office (GAO) about weaknesses in the U.S. Department of Education's administration of student loans for postsecondary education. The General Accounting Office…

A tuition plan for the competent but poor high school graduate. (AD)

Describes how college lobbying groups are squabbling over how much students should be able to borrow in federal student loans. (EV)

Analyzes student loan debt at the University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry, showing the need for a comprehensive debt management program. Presents a model for determining manageable amounts of student loan debt developed from conventional lending criteria and data on earnings for optometrists. (EV)

This publication is intended for financial aid administrators and counselors who help students begin the aid process--filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), verifying information, and making corrections and other changes to the information reported on the FAFSA. The Federal Student Aid Handbook consists of the Application and…

This semiannual report to Congress on the activities and accomplishments of the Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Education (Department) from April 1, 2007, through September 30, 2007, highlights the audits, inspections, investigations, and other activities to illustrate an ongoing commitment to promoting accountability,…

Matteo Fontana, the student-aid official in the U.S. Department of Education who was suspended last month in an ethics case, issued a controversial high-stakes legal ruling in 2004 that benefited his former employer, Sallie Mae, on the day before the nation's top student lender completed its transition from a government-founded lender into a…