Colleges, universities, and the communities they serve have always been concerned about students' abilities to pay and the systems of aid to support students' learning. This article reviews the history of aiding student in higher education. Early student- and institutionally-led programs are discussed along with initial philanthropic and…

This study considers the effect of a state merit-based aid program for undergraduate students on subsequent enrollment in graduate school. It uses student unit record data to analyze the impact of the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES). Price theory is used as a framework for understanding the incentives provided by KEES. Using a…

In 2005, Kalamazoo, Michigan launched a bold and innovative economic development strategy, The Kalamazoo Promise (KP), which guarantees tuition to every high school graduate in the district. Since KP inception, high school enrollments are up and college attendance has increased, creating national attention. This paper analyzes the benefits and…

This study examines the effectiveness of a scholarship workshop program to better prepare low socio-economic and minority students to compete for collegiate scholarships. The study involves 1,367 high risk 9th to 12th grade students in Texas. Analysis of the pre- and post tests, using a t-test for dependent variables, indicates a statistically…

This study uses data from 15 descriptive case studies to explore high school students' perceptions of scholarships and the forces that contribute to these perceptions. The findings describe six themes that emerged from the data analyses: (a) awareness of scholarships; (b) perceptions of institutional scholarships; (c) motivations for pursuing…

This article describes higher education financial assistance tools designed mainly for students of middle- and upper-income families who may not be eligible for financial aid from other sources. It includes the 2007 legislative updates for these tools, all of which have been devised and offered by either state or federal governments. The authors…

Florida's Bright Futures program is one of the nation's largest merit-based scholarship initiatives. This study used high school transcript and college enrollment data to examine the program's impact on high school course-taking patterns, school grades, college entrance exam scores, and rates of college attendance over time. The study indicates…

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…

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 research examined the high school transcripts of honors scholarship recipients to identify a better criterion for awarding scholarships than high school grade point average (GPA) alone. Specifically, this study compared the honors scholarship retention rate when the scholarship was awarded based on completed advanced high school math classes…

This study examines how institutional expenditures and grants (student financial aid) relate to retention and graduation. It looks at this relationship over a 10-year period and examines differences between institutions with low- and high-admissions selectivity standards. In general, expenditures for institutional grants positively contributed to…

A study investigated motivation to attend an out-of-state school among two student groups at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, one attending with the assistance of a scholarship designed to recruit out-of-state students, the other matriculating through general admissions. The university's overall program, scholarships received, tuition, and…

A study at Arizona State University investigated the relationships between types and amounts of student financial aid, student demographic and academic characteristics, persistence, and degree completion among 472 master's program students over a 4-year period from fall 1985 through summer 1989. Variables found to affect patterns included economic…

The lower court findings and 1995 Supreme Court decision in Podberesky versus Kerwin, concerning the legality of race-exclusive scholarships, is reviewed and its implications on race-based financial aid awards are examined. Issues discussed include current Department of Education guidelines in this context, meeting institutional mandates to…

The student financial aid situation at present can be summarized under the following sections: student confusion by the multiplicity of aid programs; managerial problems; lack of conceptual clarity; and special problems in need of analysis. (Author/PG)