Among 4,931 young physicians, those most likely to question career choice had higher proportions of white women, African Americans, and Hispanics. These had lower incomes, higher educational debt, more hours and patient visits, and were more likely to report inappropriate use of tests and procedures and lack of autonomy. Implications are…

The 1980s saw renewed emphasis on parental and student responsibility for financing college, as federal aid programs and family income lagged behind costs. These shifting burdens occurred largely without design. More explicit attention should be given to how responsibility is distributed and assuring support mechanisms are adequate. (Author/MSE)

The current income tax law's effects on common elements of education financing are discussed, including scholarships, loans, employment, and related issues. In light of recent tax changes that increase the after-tax cost of education, information for maximizing remaining tax advantages is offered. (MSE)

This summarizes a study about how well California State University, Chico, Upward Bound participants persist in postsecondary education. Upward Bound graduates entered, are persisting toward their educational goal, or have completed their goal in a single postsecondary institution at a higher rate than the national college-going population. (JM)

Summarizes prior studies with a focus on untangling how changes in student financial aid policy have influenced changes in opportunity. Also recommends new strategies for lowering student loan debt, increasing federal and state cooperation in providing adequate need-based grant aid, and developing policies that target debt forgiveness for…

Presents an interview with Blenda Wilson, president and chief executive officer of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Discusses ways low income and minority students can afford college tuition, as well as areas in which the financial aid process must be revised. Suggests that community outreach is crucial, as is increased access to grant-based…

Canadians have experienced a reduction in government funding toward postsecondary education over the past ten years, as well as a shift in student-support policies. Historically, paying the costs of postsecondary education in Canada has been a responsibility shared by the state, and students and parents. Changes in government policy have forced…

A college degree is one of the most expensive purchases an American family can make. While today's costs are higher than ever before, parents have many more options whose sheer number and complexity have given rise to a whole new field-financial planning for college. This article, which is based on materials created for the enrollment management…

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test scores for 2004 have been announced. The tests, administered to juniors, attempt to assess how well students perform in mathematics, reading, writing, science, and social studies. There is a good deal at stake here. For students, it means money: Any student who meets or exceeds the state's…

This article starts by putting the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) into a general context of privatisation. It is noted that the privatisation process is in many cases complex and not only about full-scale privatisation of schools. The growing trade in education must be seen in this context. GATS is not an agreement which deals with…

Sir Martin Harris, ex-Vice Chancellor of Manchester and of Essex, is appointed as the first Director of the Office for Fair Access (OFFA). The Higher Education Act 2004 creates (s31) "the Director of Fair Access to Higher Education" and then requires (s24) higher education institutions (HEIs) to agree "approved plans" with…

Faced with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state higher education officials are trying to relieve the burden on the state by redirecting several thousand high school seniors from California's public four-year universities to community colleges for their first two years of school. The California effort emerges…

This exploratory study examines the factors that college students perceive are important in helping them make good financial decisions about paying for a college education. The study categorizes and summarizes students' self-reported responses to an open-ended survey question about recommendations for changes in financial aid counseling practices.…

Barriers to health care careers for rural Western Australian students were examined through interviews with 209 students from 15 secondary schools, 62 parents and grandparents, 76 teachers, and 4 Aboriginal and Islander education officers. Students were constrained by isolation, cost, stereotypes, insufficient information about the diversity of…

Complains that during a time of economic strength, a nation led by a Democratic president is producing a higher-education plan that does nothing to help poor people go to college. Instead, political efforts attempt to reduce educational costs for the predominantly white upper-middle and wealthy classes whose children are already almost certain to…