In January 2017, Trellis launched a nine-month study aimed at better understanding the non-academic challenges that postsecondary students face and the ways they try to meet their basic needs while pursuing academic goals. Working with 11 institutions in Texas and Florida, researchers recruited a cohort of 72 current undergraduate students. Though…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand how community college students assess the risks and rewards of using personal loans to achieve their higher education goals. Method: Interviews were conducted with 12 federal loan borrowers attending a large, urban community college in Texas during the Spring 2013 semester. Results: Findings…

In a Texas study of vocational education student loan repayment attitudes, interviews with loan recipients indicate defaults are affected by how much students are pressured to enroll in a program, their understanding of the loan program when signing an application, and how well their vocational education equips them for employment. (Author/MSE)