As part of the Biden-Harris Administration's comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including but not limited to resources under Executive Order 14000 and the COVID-19 Handbook: Volume 3, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) is committed to efficiently and effectively administering Federal emergency and relief funds and…

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) unlocks access to federal financial aid programs and anywhere from 17 million to 21 million postsecondary students complete the FAFSA annually. A significant portion of these students cannot receive their aid without completing an additional, lengthy audit-like process called verification to…

The Pell Grant is targeted to students with the greatest financial need, and many policymakers find the Pell Grant a useful policy lever for promoting access and success for students from lower- and moderate-income backgrounds. There are several examples where policymakers use Pell eligibility to allocate resources and hold colleges accountable…

Black, First-Generation, and Pell Grant recipient college students have faced tremendous obstacles and overcame substantial hurdles as a worldwide health pandemic, the novel coronavirus or COVID-19, disproportionately harmed the students, their family members, and communities. With over 1,000,000 deaths in the United States at the time of…

First-generation, Pell-eligible Latinas are a growing population in higher education, yet their completion rates are lower than their peers and a deficit mindset dominates the literature about this group. This qualitative case study was meant to understand self-identified first-generation, Pell-eligible Latina students' experiences with academic…

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented global event that disrupted higher education learning environments in unique ways. This study explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate students' academic progress in higher education at Saint Louis University. The outcomes of interest were four-year cumulative grade point average…

The pandemic created daunting challenges for higher education. The federal government provided California Community Colleges billions of dollars in aid for students and institutions. How did they use these funds? How well did their pandemic recovery activities and investments help reengage students? What will institutions do when the money runs…

The Pell Grant is targeted to students with the greatest financial need, and many policymakers find Pell to be a useful policy lever for promoting access and success for students from lower-income backgrounds. There are several examples where policymakers use Pell eligibility to allocate resources and hold colleges accountable for their outcomes;…

Through the higher education act (HEA) reauthorization, congress has several opportunities to improve and simplify student loan repayment for borrowers. To address the challenges students face when repaying their loans, congress should simplify the existing federal loan repayment plans, strengthen public service loan forgiveness, eliminate loan…

Due to the impact of COVID-19, current and incoming students will be facing unprecedented struggles when starting the new academic year -- and, likely, for years to come -- and many students will need significant additional support to pay for college. It is critical to protect and strengthen the Pell Grant program to reduce students' need to…

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' (NASFAA's) National Student Aid Profile is an annual publication designed to give a high-level overview of the federal student financial aid programs that provide funding to millions of students each year. This profile includes an overview of: (1) The Federal Pell Grant Program; (2) The…

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' (NASFAA's) National Student Aid Profile is an annual publication designed to give a high-level overview of the federal student financial aid programs that provide funding to millions of students each year. This profile includes an overview of: (1) The Federal Pell Grant Program; (2) The…

"Investigating the Impacts of College Closures on Student Outcomes" is the first of three planned novel reports, co-authored by SHEEO and the NSC Research Center, seeking to quantify the impacts of college closures on students' subsequent postsecondary enrollment and completion outcomes and to identify the policy levers states may have…

Congress has legislation before it to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $550 for low-income students. But students would not be allowed to use the extra Pell dollars at for-profit colleges and universities. This has the for-profit higher education industry claiming discrimination against them in their lobbying campaign insisting that any federal…

Community college enrollment has significantly declined since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the spring 2020 term and the spring 2022 term, community college enrollment declined by nearly 17 percent nationwide. This alarming trend has posed a threat to the well-being of community colleges and the students they serve, which includes…