This document presents a review of cost-containment initiatives relevant to higher education institutions. Originally commissioned to examine cost containment initiatives carried out by institutions affiliated with the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE), the paper was expanded to include a sector-wide review of three types of…

The LifeLong Learning (L3) Scholarship Program was developed for Johnston County, North Carolina in 1992 and was expected to continue until July 2003. An evaluation was conducted of the program, using data from various sources. The L3 program depended on private donations to guarantee students in Johnston County the opportunity for higher…

No matter what the rationale for high tuition, unless it is controlled, the average American family will not be able to afford a private college or university education. What is needed is a flexible tuition prepayment plan built on cooperation between private institutions, the federal government, and investment firms. Requirements of a successful…

The relationship between the "need-blind" philosophy of college admission and institutional student financial aid policies is examined. The ethics of providing less-capable students with higher debt and workloads, and other policies that apply differential aid packaging for higher-risk students, are called into question. (MSE)

A discussion of Florida's college tuition prepayment program describes the plan and its options and examines its marketing implications as a preneed service. It is concluded that the program makes saving for college easy, economical, and completely safe but requires rethinking of conventional marketing strategies and mix. (MSE)

This article raises questions about the degree of equity of higher education in Portugal. It is based on research that the author conducted in 1995 and 1996. From diversified indicators, namely the academic level and social class of the parents of university students in particular, and the Portuguese population, the author concludes that, in…

This paper analyzes the merits of proposals to encourage saving for college by permitting families to use funds accumulated in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA's) to pay postsecondary education expenses. The paper argues that tax treatment of such expenditures might parallel that for expenditures of IRA's for retirement purposes--deferring tax…

The federal government enacted the Taxpayer Relief Act in 1997. Whereas other federal student aid programs have used grants, scholarships, and loans to help students and their families finance college, the new law has made college more affordable by providing new federal income tax credits, savings incentives, and deductions for interest paid on…

Recent research demonstrates that many countries are asking similar policy questions about financing higher education and answering them in very different ways. No government seems entirely satisfied with current methods of sharing higher education costs, and many are simultaneously introducing changes in their institutional funding and student…

Discussion of guaranteed college tuition programs first explores their origins and reasons for continuing high inflation rates for tuition. The relationship between tuition increase and enrollment is examined, and many current guaranteed tuition plans are reviewed. Basic considerations in developing a model for a multiyear plan are outlined and a…

This study used the "workable persistence model" to assess the effects of financial aid on persistence of full-time resident undergraduates within the Indiana State postsecondary system. The analysis provides support for state-provided, need-based financial aid programs, and finds that student financial aid is adequate to equalize…

Presents results of an empirical investigation of Canadian student loans for four recent cohorts of graduates. Data include proportion of students graduating with loans and average amounts borrowed, loan burden measured by debt-to-earning ratios, repayment rates following graduation, and number of graduates reporting loan difficulties. Results are…

Discusses data that indicate that students' academic promise is increasingly influencing even the amount of "need-based" aid they receive, signaling that families' demonstrated financial need is of less importance than they may expect when they fill out all those financial aid forms. (EV)

The Director of Research of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators examines how tuition discounting is affecting the neediest students. Results suggest that a large share of institutional aid dollars are still being distributed to low-income undergraduates, despite the rise in merit- and other non-need-based grants. (EV)

Discusses a report from the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, "Access Denied: Restoring the Nation's Commitment to Equal Educational Opportunity," which found that, despite an extended period of national prosperity, there has been disappointing progress toward equal educational opportunity. Discusses the report's recommended four…