This is a collection of papers from a 2001 symposium at Harvard University entitled "State Merit Aid Programs: College Access and Equity." After a Foreword by Gary Orfield, the seven papers are (1) "State Merit Scholarship Programs: An Introduction" (Donald E. Heller); (2) "Merit Scholarships and College Access: Evidence from Florida and Michigan" (Donald E. Heller and Christopher J. Rasmussen); (3) "Incentive Effects of New Mexico's Merit-Based Scholarship Program: Who Responds and How?" (Melissa Binder, Philip T. Ganderton, and Kristin Hutchens); (4) "Race and the Effects of Georgia's HOPE Scholarship" (Christopher Cornwell and David B. Mustard); (5) "Race, Income, and the Impact of Merit Aid" (Susan Dynarski); (6) "Do State Financial Aid Programs Cause Colleges To Raise Prices? The Case of the Georgia HOPE Scholarship" (Bridget Terry Long); and (7) "Merit Scholarships and the Outlook for Equal Opportunities in Higher Education" (Patricia Marin). (Individual papers contain references.) (SM)