Information Constraints and Financial Aid Policy
Financial aid plays an essential role in expanding higher education access, especially for low-income and disadvantaged students. At the same time, misperceptions about college costs combined with complicated college-aid programs often undermine its effectiveness, argues this paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. More »
Student Debt and the Class of 2010
Students who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2010 and used student loans to pay for their education owed an average of $25,250, up 5 percent from the previous year, says this report from the Project on Student Debt, from the Institute on College Access and Success. More »
Merit Aid for Undergraduates
This publication from the National Center for Education Statistics shows 14 percent of students in 2007-2008 received merit-based grants, compared with 6 percent who received aid unrelated to financial need in 1995-1996. More »
The Expansion of Private Loans in Postsecondary Education
This study from the National Center for Education Statistics finds that between 2003-2004 and 2007-2008, the percentage of undergraduate students who borrowed private student loans increased from 5 percent to 14 percent. More »
Trends in Student Aid
This College Board report provides annual data on grants, loans, work-study and education tax benefits available to assist students and families in paying for postsecondary education. More »
The Distribution of Grants and Scholarships by Race
An analysis on the distribution of grants and scholarships by race finds that White students are disproportionately more likely to receive financial aid than minority students. The study, by Mark Kantrowitz, finds that Whites receive more than 76 percent of all institutional merit-based scholarship and grant funding and are 40 percent more likely to receive private scholarships than minority students. More »
Single Mothers and College Success: Creating Paths out of Poverty
For many single mothers, a college degree is a gateway to the middle class, and community colleges often provide the most accessible and flexible option to progress to and through college, says this report by Women Employed. It focuses on six areas in which federal or state policy changes can impact retention and graduation rates of single-parent students. More »
41st Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Financial Aid
The 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico spent a total of $10.8 billion on student financial aid in 2009-2010, a 3.8 percent increase from the prior year. Some states cut back on their state awards, including Ohio, with a 66 percent decrease. For more financial aid findings, read the 41st Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Financial Aid, from the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs. More »
Improving Student Transfer from Community Colleges to Four-Year Institutions
The pathway between community colleges and four-year institutions plays a vital role in improving the degree-production needs of the nation. This College Board report provides perspectives from four-year institution leaders with success in recruiting, enrolling and serving transfer students from community colleges. More »
Priced Out: How the Wrong Financial-Aid Policies Hurt Low-Income Students
Federal and local financial aid policies hinder many low-income students from receiving the money they need to attend and graduate from college, concludes this report from the Education Trust. The report finds that only five of the nation’s four-year colleges and universities offer low-income students “a reasonable chance at a bachelor’s degree at a relatively affordable cost.” More »
