This comparative study modifies Cabrera and La Nasa's model to examine social and class stratification in students' college-choice outcomes in the USA and Taiwan, and compares the mechanisms that perpetuate this stratification between the two systems. Students' college-choice outcomes are defined by both institutional selectivity and control, in…

Nearly 43 million college student borrowers across the United States owe more than $1.56 trillion in outstanding federal student loans. The number of student borrowers in the country has increased by 1.3 million, or 3.1 percent, over the past five years, while the amount of outstanding student debt in the country has increased by a whopping $…

The national commitment to increasing postsecondary educational attainment, combined with growing economic anxiety, has made community colleges the focus of many federal and state policy initiatives. There is good reason for this: by virtue of their nature and reach, community colleges--public institutions of higher education that predominantly…

In 2007-08, approximately 21 million students were enrolled in undergraduate postsecondary education in the United States. These Web Tables provide a comprehensive source of information on financial aid that was awarded to undergraduate students during the 2007-08 academic year. Included are estimates of tuition, price of attendance, and financial…

In 2007-08, about 3 million students were enrolled in graduate or first-professional degree programs in the United States. These students exhibited wide variation both demographically and in the types of programs and institutions they attended. They pursued degrees in all types of fields, from the physical and life sciences to the arts and…

While higher education is regarded a high priority for economic development in many countries, public budgets often fall short to support desired levels of expansion in higher education. This leads to cost-sharing: students and their families are required to contribute more to the costs of higher education. This paper explores worldwide trends to…

The "Great Recession" of 2008-2010 has brought a truly unprecedented level of financial chaos to U.S. higher education, exposing chronic fault lines in the system of financing that threaten national capacity to meet the future need for college graduates. This article examines the nature of the higher education "cost disease,"…

Globally, fees and tuition are growing as an important source of income for most universities, with potentially significant influence on the market for students and the behavior of institutions. Thus far, however, there is no single source on the fee rates of comparative research universities, nor information on how these funds are being used by…

An annotated bibliography of more than 1,100 scholarly publications concerning the financing of American higher education during 1960-1981 is presented. The greatest emphasis is on works published in the last decade, including books, articles, reports, studies, and theses on paper or microform. The following topics representing financial concerns…

In the search for a viable twenty-first century cost-sharing contract between university, student and state, the issues of rising participation and student demand, functional differentiation, institutional competition and stratification and social inequality are systematically discussed. The argument develops through, firstly, a critical appraisal…

A comparison study examined financial data and full-time student enrollment statistics (1987-88) from 10 Ontario universities with comparable U.S. schools (in eight Great Lake Region states, and California, Texas, and Florida) in order to establish the competitiveness of Ontario's university system in the North American context. Analysis revealed…

During the spring of 2004, the State of Colorado enacted legislation that fundamentally changed the mechanisms through which it financed its public higher education system, beginning with the 2005-06 academic year. Rather than appropriating funds directly to institutions, the legislation created the College Opportunity Fund (COF), the principal…

This study examined publication trends in periodicals related to the study of higher education, examining articles on educational finance in seven leading periodicals from 1982 through 1993. A total of 98 articles on educational finance were identified. The study found that 51 percent of the articles were written by faculty, and that 81 percent…

A guide to financing medical school studies is presented. Financial planning should ideally begin as soon as medical school admission becomes a possible goal. Information is provided to help estimate costs and identify sources of financial aid, including help provided by a spouse or parents, institutional assistance, private loans/scholarships,…

The economic value of higher education, whether it is a good investment, and ways that the value can be measured are described in this critical review of concepts and methods in the economics of higher education. Three parts form the structure of the book: (1) summary and stage setting; (2) the economic value of higher education: the classical…