Using new institutional-level data, we assess the impact of changing federal aid levels on institutional-level Pell revenues. Using various policy instruments associated with Pell generosity, we quantify the sensitivity of institutional Pell revenues to the generosity of the Pell Grant program. In general, we find an elastic response of…

Higher education in New Jersey has arrived at a decisive moment. After twenty years of declining State funding and increased tuitions, the fortunes of citizens and the state hang in the balance. Student access to an affordable college education and the economic prosperity of the state are at stake. Increased funding is essential, but so too are…

In 1960, California developed a "master plan" for its already famed public higher education system. It was and continues to be arguably the single most influential effort to plan the future of a system of higher education in the annals of American higher education. Despite popular belief, however, the California Master Plan for Higher…

This brief considers the policy implications of the college experiences of African American women at a predominantly White, research institution. The findings of this ethnographic study indicate that first-generation Black women grappled with academic and financial barriers to both their initial and continued transitions through college. Their…

This report is one of several efforts designed to monitor outcomes in Washington's higher education system, and fulfills the biennial requirement that the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) inform the higher education and fiscal committees of the legislature of progress toward goals. The portrait that emerges from this review of…

This article attempts to explore how parents are involved in their daughters' decision-making around their higher education path. It draws on qualitative research that investigated the process through which young women from the UK and Saudi Arabia reached a decision about a subject or an institution for higher educational study. The paper…

This update contains analyses of legislative initiatives being tracked by staff of the California Postsecondary Education Commission. The positions shown for each bill are those adopted by the Commission at its June 9, 2009 and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills monitored by CPEC staff is included. Contents include: (1) Access; (2) Affordability;…

In a time of ever-rising college costs, financial aid is critical to increase college access and success. Federal, state, and institutional aid programs help to ensure that students can afford higher education regardless of economic background. Financial aid is most effective when students and families learn about it early enough to make the right…

A serious difficulty in determining the importance of credit constraints in education arises because standard data sources do not provide a direct way of identifying which students are credit constrained. This has forced researchers to adopt a variety of indirect approaches. This paper differentiates itself from previous work by taking a direct…

Concerns about higher-education access and affordability have emerged as significant issues in the immigration debates. As is true for immigration issues in general, public opinion is divided on how states should respond, and emotions run high. Passage of proposed federal legislation would clarify the states' authority over tuition policy and the…

If higher education is a right, and distance education is the avenue for making higher education universally available, then who shall pay? This article asks (1) can state governments in the United States afford to fund this initiative and (2) can public higher education institutions in the U.S. fund this effort through capitalizing on…

Building on their important findings in "The Source of the River," the authors now probe even more deeply into minority underachievement at the college level. "Taming the River" examines the academic and social dynamics of different ethnic groups during the first two years of college. Focusing on racial differences in academic performance, the…

With the 2006 mid-term elections over, higher education will be an important topic in public policy discussions at the federal and state levels. State colleges and universities will need to stay informed and be prepared to take action as discussions about access, affordability, and accountability play out in the coming year. This issue of…

Discusses in detail how various college savings options compare to the 529 plans--the Internal Revenue Code's qualified tuition programs designed to help families save for college expenses. Discusses the impact of saving on financial aid eligibility, and uses a Monte Carlo approach to simulate asset accumulation for each savings option. (EV)

California's Master Plan for Higher Education represented a promise, of an affordable college education, to every person who could benefit. For decades, California's lawmakers honored that promise. Rapidly increasing college fees, coupled with higher costs for room and board, books, transportation, and healthcare are pricing students out of higher…