Most public colleges and universities rely heavily on state financial support. As state budgets have tightened in recent decades, appropriations for higher education have declined substantially. Despite concerns expressed by policymakers and scholars that the declines in state support have reduced the return to education investment for public…

Is the end in sight for college tuition hikes? Tuition and fees at public colleges and universities consistently have risen twice or even three times as fast as comparable increases in the Consumer Price Index in recent years. Since 2000 these costs have even grown 60 percent faster than health care costs. The results have been rapidly rising…

This brief examines two types of state service-contingent aid programs: conditional grants/loans and loan forgiveness. Conditional grant or loan programs provide a financial award to currently enrolled students and, in exchange for receipt of the award, students must fulfill certain service or work requirements after graduating from college. Loan…

Teachers of color have a positive impact on all students and make a particularly pronounced difference in the lives of students of color. For students of color, having a teacher of color can increase academic achievement and advanced course-taking, reduce discipline incidents, improve attendance, increase high school graduation and college-going,…

This white paper, an update to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association's (SHEEO's) 2014 "Moving the Needle" report (Carlson & Zaback, 2014), examines innovative policies to improve college affordability for students from families in the two lowest income quintiles, using updated data and analyses. The policies…

This report provides a detailed look at the sources and distribution of grants, loans, and other student aid for the most recent academic year and how this funding has changed over time. The federal government provided two-thirds of all student aid in 2016-17, but only one-third of the grant aid. In the context of uncertainty about the timing of…

The "Assistive Technology Act of 1998," as amended by Public Law 108-364 ("AT Act of 1998," as amended; "AT Act"; Act) requires that the secretary of education submit to Congress a report on the activities funded under that Act. Specifically, the secretary of education is required to annually provide to Congress: (1)…

This article examines debt burden among college graduates and contributes to previous research by incorporating institutional and state characteristics. Utilizing a combination of national datasets and zero-one inflated beta regression, we find several major themes. First, family income and college experiences are strongly associated with the…

In a period of student loan scandals and U.S. financial market instability impacting on the cost and availability of student loans, this paper looks at alternative models of higher education funding. In this context, it also considers the level of financial support that the government should provide to higher education.

This report, "State Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance Policies for Public Colleges and Universities: 2010-11", examines the philosophies, policies, and procedures that influence decision-making regarding public college and university tuition, student fees, and student financial aid programs. This report also provides information…

The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) is a comprehensive study of how students and their families pay for postsecondary education. It includes nationally representative samples of undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students who attend less-than-2-year institutions, 2-year institutions, 4-year colleges, and major…

The nature of the loan default problem in New Jersey, the reduction of defaults in the New Jersey Guaranteed Student Loan Program, default prevention initiatives, and the recommendations of the Default Task Force are discussed. Findings include the following: (1) most defaulters are low-income students, and half were students in proprietary school…

State-sponsored programs that seek to attract college students to teaching by paying off a portion of their student loans for each year they teach are reviewed and discussed. (MSE)

Information on physical facilities of Idaho state colleges and universities and facility financing options for the State Board of Education is presented. While attention is focused on Boise State University, Idaho State University, University of Idaho, and Lewis-Clark State College, some of the options may be applicable to other state-supported…

The Florida state legislature mandated a study of the cost of medical, dental, and veterinary education in Florida. The study examined the funding and expenditures for several state institutions using various data sources as well as information presented at a series of public meetings. Findings of the study revealed that estimated expenditures per…