Federal budget-balancing legislation includes tax credits and deductions, worth $40-billion over five years, to help people pay for college. Provisions include tax credits, deduction of student loan interest and some employer-paid tuition assistance, penalty-free individual retirement account withdrawals, student loan forgiveness, institutional…

This article describes the development at Florida State University of the Seminole ACCESS card, which functions simultaneously as a bank automated teller machine card, a student identification card, and a debit card. Explained are the partnership between the university and the bank charge card center, funding system, technologies involved, and…

At the outset, few politicians and educators recognized the potential of the GI Bill, calling it unworkable. However, the GI Bill had many positive features and no disadvantages, causing unexpected numbers of veterans to take full advantage of it, creating enrollment and housing surprises for colleges and universities. (MSE)

Student borrowing for higher education has increased dramatically, and some students begin their adult lives with considerable debt. Financial burden measures should be incorporated into student loan repayment requirements and used to adjust either monthly or annual repayments or the period of repayment. Reducing debt burden would help make…

Presents a statistical record of African American progress in higher education in the United States, including equity issues, the state of racial inequality, and financial needs. Comparative trends are provided concerning population, health, academic testing, and participation in sports between African Americans and whites; enrollments in…

Discusses lessons concerning the financing of higher education drawn from previous recessions and describes the differences inherent in the current recession and its potential impact on growing college enrollments, particularly the increasing demand from low-income and minority students. (EV)

The crisis of education is one of the most pressing problems in the world today. Russia's crisis in this sphere has taken on the character of an emergency owing to the unprecedented wholesale cutbacks in budget funding. In this article, the authors discuss the commercialization of Russia's higher education, leading to its degradation and threat to…

This report describes the results of eight focus groups held in four cities to explore findings of a comprehensive review of more than 30 recent public opinion polls concerning higher education. These findings were: (1) higher education enjoys a reservoir of good will; (2) a college education is seen as an essential credential for success; (3) the…

This report summarizes trends in financing higher education in the United States and is based on various reports of state appropriations and a survey of state higher education finance officers. Among the highlights noted are: state appropriations to higher education reached $52.8 billion in fiscal year 99, an increase of 6.5 percent over the…

This report reviews trends affecting rising costs and prices in higher education and proposes an action agenda for colleges, government at all levels, families and students, and other patrons. The recommendations emphasize shared responsibility to (1) strengthen institutional cost control; (2) improve market information and public accountability;…

This report describes the activities, accomplishments, and concerns of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education, for the 6-month period ending March 31, 2000. The report describes management challenges concerning student financial assistance, including instances of fraud and abuse, concealment of prior defaults, patterns of…

President Bill Clinton used the declining default rate on college student loans as a basis for proposing tax breaks for college costs. Reduced defaults have saved taxpayer money and helped reduce the federal deficit. Over 150 colleges and universities, including 25 private institutions, risk losing eligibility for federal grant and loan programs…

Describes the new system of financial aid at Princeton University, which is designed to blunt Princeton's image as a school for wealthy students and to increase enrollment of gifted students from working class families. Whether this will in fact increase enrollment of black students at Princeton is questioned. (SLD)

The complexity of the federal tax code has been the focus of reform efforts for decades, and has received considerable attention in the economic literature. The federal system for distributing student financial aid is similarly convoluted, yet has received relatively little attention from economists. For the typical household, the aid application…

This report presents seven studies commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education to examine the issue of the rapid rise of college costs during the 1980s and the ability of American students and families to afford higher education. The seven papers are as follows: (1) "The Ability to Afford Higher Education: Past, Present, and Future"…