The question of how the government can best support access to postsecondary education has become a critical issue for education policymakers around the globe, as the practice of cost sharing for funding postsecondary education has been more widely adopted. In this context, this study explores the approaches to implementing current need-based…

Every year, millions of students who would have qualified for financial aid do not complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Discouragingly, many of these students come from lower-income families and would have qualified for Pell Grants that do not have to be repaid. Using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students…

Book vouchers serve as one component of need-based financial aid packages at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), one of the nation's largest community colleges. This study compared the academic performance of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) applicants in attendance at CSN during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years. A basic…

In the context of a theoretical model of expected profit maximization, this paper shows how historic institutional data can be used to assist enrollment managers in determining the level of financial aid for students with varying demographic and quality characteristics. Optimal tuition pricing in conjunction with empirical estimation of…

Using institutional data, this paper presents a model to enable researchers and enrollment managers to assess the effectiveness of financial aid packaging policies in light of student characteristics and institutional market position. The model uses discriminant analysis and a series of hypothetical financial aid award scenarios to predict the…

This study examined the use of education tax credits at four community colleges using data from the Federal Quality Assurance Program in 1998, the first year of the HOPE Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Tax Credit (LLTC). Preliminary estimates indicated that the two tax credits were expected to primarily benefit middle-income tax filers with…

For several decades, education has assumed a vital role in this country's economic, social, and political development, catapulting less advantaged citizens into higher social classes and the political process. A testament to education's fundamental importance in our society are the numerous programs designed during the 1960s to eliminate the…

Examined whether there is evidence of gender bias in the awarding of institutional aid to students, controlling for academic ability and need. Found no direct evidence of bias when examining the relationship between student characteristics and aid, but when examining institutional characteristics, indirect implications suggested that gender was…

Examined data from the 2001 Survey of Undergraduate Financial Aid Policies, Practices, and Procedures. Findings included that all institutional types, even low-cost community colleges, have awarded a large share of their institutional grants based on students' academic merit or other criteria besides their demonstrated financial need, but that…

This study used the "workable persistence model" to assess the effects of financial aid on persistence of full-time resident undergraduates within the Indiana State postsecondary system. The analysis provides support for state-provided, need-based financial aid programs, and finds that student financial aid is adequate to equalize persistence…

Discussion of the need for the Perkins Loan Program examines recent trends in borrowing under this and the Stafford Loan Program, comparing demographic characteristics, income levels, educational costs, and financial-need levels of loan recipients. It is concluded that the Perkins program continues to play a vital role in providing need-based aid…

Analyzes data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey concerning the use of need-based versus non-need financial aid awarded by colleges and universities in 1989 and 1995. Provides descriptive and trend analyses of differences in types of aid among varying institutional types, and examines how financial aid awards have changed for…

Comparison of federal need-analysis formulas for student financial aid in 1992-93 and 1993-94 focused on elimination of home/farm equity from calculations, parent contributions, and Pell Grant awards. Results suggest higher unmet need and lower Pell Grant awards, and imply that the most needy students may lose gift assistance to more affluent…

A study investigated the appropriateness of colleges awarding student aid based on student recruitment objectives as contrasted with traditional need analysis. Subjects were 1,658 prospective students who applied for financial aid at a mid-sized comprehensive university. Results indicate that traditional aid policies are effective in attracting…

The California State University, Fresno financial aid office developed an income matrix to determine whether a dependent student would be eligible for a maximum Basic Grant award. The matrix can be derived in a few hours, used throughout the academic year, and can reduce man-hours needed to re-compute indexes. (JMD)