The focus of the college student-aid debate in Congress has narrowed to the student loan program and the money shortage faced by the middle-income family. States are providing some $375 million in scholarship programs of their own. (Author/MLF)

Copies of the survey report are available at

In spring 1968 the College Scholarship Service of the College Entrance Examination Board decided the time had come for a thorough review of its system of analyzing the financial needs of applicants for admission to universities and colleges, particularly at the undergraduate level. Accordingly, the Panel on Student Financial Need Analysis was…

The federal government's student loan programs have been very successful, with two-thirds of all students or their families relying on loans provided or subsidized by the federal government. One of these student loan programs allows student borrowers to consolidate their previous loans into a single loan at a subsidized fixed rate based on the…

Using data from a variety of sources, including public records and the Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics, this study examined the political spending of the five largest holders of federally subsidized student loans: Sallie Mae, the Student Loan Corporation of Citibank, First Union National Bank, Wells Fargo Education Financial…

The federal government provides student loans for college and graduate school in two ways: by guaranteeing bank loans, and by lending directly to students. In the guaranteed loan program, banks lend students money and profit from the interest payments while the government guarantees the loans against default and makes subsidy payments to the…

Because of concerns about the Department of Education's reliance on estimates to project costs of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP) and a lack of historical information on which to base those estimates, Congress asked the General Accounting Office (GAO) to review how the department develops its cost estimates for the program,…

Author describes and lists advantages of a plan whereby college students at state institutions pay back their tuition after graduation. (SP)

Financial aid to indigent students provided a source of personnel to staff pulpits of early New England churches. (RA)

Reviews tips from financial aid programs aimed at reducing default on student loans. Tips include: know your students, target your efforts, help students stay in school, give students appropriate information during "learning moments," and make information easy to get and understand. Includes lists of other resources. (EV)

Recent studies have questioned the wisdom in blaming college costs for the escalation of student loans. It would appear that less affluent students borrow large amounts because inexpensive subsidized loans are available. This study attempted to verify the claim, estimating a model of the amount of loan received by students as a function of net…

For several months, the subprime-mortgage crisis has hovered over colleges, its ultimate effects uncertain. That is changing. In the past few weeks, a series of loan companies have withdrawn from broad categories of student lending, and some colleges have acknowledged sharp increases in borrowing costs. The most severe effect may be still to come,…

The purpose of the United States Department of Education's (the Department) FY 2013 "Agency Financial Report" (AFR) is to assist Congress, the President, and the American people to assess the Department's stewardship over resources with which it is entrusted. This annual report is required by legislation and complies with the…

In the last forty years, federal and state financial aid policy has fundamentally shifted the way in which students and families finance college costs. Whereas grants once served an important function in equalizing college opportunity, loans are now considered a key lever against escalating postsecondary costs (McPherson and Shapiro, 1998). This…