Starting college is indeed one of life's transitions that can be stressful. Many students are leaving home for the first time, leaving the support of family and friendship networks, and embarking on all kinds of challenges, including the stress of academic performance. Now financial distress plays an even bigger role than previously known. The…

Over the last two decades, there has been a significant change in the financing of higher education in the United States. A decrease in student and institutional support in real terms, tuition increases at all types of institutions, along with the view that students are the primary beneficiaries of higher education has resulted in policies that…

Discusses developments in the financing of legal education, such as sharp tuition increases, program expenditure increases, reduction in state support, and increased student borrowing and debt. Explores actions that law schools are taking or might consider to counter their negative impact. (EV)

In light of recent policy debate concerning higher education financing in Britain, reprints this article proposing a graduate tax, with a new introduction. Discusses main arguments in favor of the tax (it would eliminate the subsidy of the meritocratic elite, provide more funds for education, be a more efficient and egalitarian form of finance,…

Describes how public colleges in some states have levied their biggest tuition increases in decades, while others are tightening residency requirements and charging new students more than their returning peers. (EV)

Discusses key issues surrounding state higher education tuition prepayment plans, including the inability of state legislatures to raise future tuition levels, the risks incurred by states, and overall equity concerns. One problem: the program seems targeted for middle and upper classes and traditional college-age students. Examines alternative…

A new Web site provides a new structure for tuition discounting by allowing a student to bid the amount he/she is willing to pay, which member institutions accept or reject. The site is intended to help match students with institutional members of the consortium, usually less-well-known smaller schools. Possible difficulties for both institutions…

Examines differences among undergraduates who attended postsecondary education in states that provide different levels of state student financial aid. Describes aid types and sources, the price of college attendance, and personal characteristics of students. Also considers undergraduates' probability of attending institutions in high-aid or…

Although research indicates that a person with an undergraduate degree earns almost twice as much as one with only a high school diploma, the payoff from a degree from an elite college is far less conclusive. Although elite colleges give better access to elite jobs, there is no advantage to choosing an expensive mediocre private school over a top…

Profiles middle income undergraduates in comparison to their lower income and higher income counterparts, examines where middle income undergraduates enroll by price of attendance, and discusses how they pay for postsecondary education, including the role of financial aid. (Author)

Russia has been in a constant state of reforms since 1985. The purpose of the reforms was supposed to be that of improving the production and non-production spheres of society. In actuality, things are a bit different. The losses in the economy in the years of the reforms have turned out to be greater than during the Great Patriotic War. At that…

Using data from the 2004 China College Student Survey, conducted by the author, this paper finds that long-term factors such as scholastic ability and parental education are significantly correlated with higher education attendance. By contrast, short-term financial constraints are also significantly associated with higher education access, but to…

2Futuro is a new "Spanish-first" college-financing program rolled out by Sallie Mae and USA Funds. The pilot version of 2Futuro launched last summer and is, say its partnering agents, "the only fully bilingual college-financing and outreach program that enables Hispanic parents and students to apply for college loans in Spanish. By the end of the…

In response to protest over double-digit college tuition increases, several states have slowed tuition growth. However, this trend threatens the value of prepaid tuition plans for investors. The financial return on prepaid tuition is largely tied to tuition rates, and the programs have been marketed as a hedge against rising tuition. Program…

Analyzes trends in costs paid by postsecondary institutions to provide education, prices paid by students and their families, and revenues received by institutions. Also explores relationships among these variables. Universe data are primarily from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. (SLD)