Subsidies to higher education in the United States have long been guided by the belief that policy should encourage college attendance. In principle, if not always in practice, policy has for some time sought to accomplish this by addressing college affordability. General subsidies that keep tuition at public institutions low are coupled with…

In the first decade of the 21st century, the nation, the states, and colleges and universities began to grapple with the challenges of globalization, changing demography, the implications of the digital era, and of a less expansive public sector. Although not a transformative period for higher education, the decade saw significant innovations in…

Recent research indicates a trend toward increases in the share of all institution-based student aid funds going to merit aid and in merit scholarship competition among institutions. This paper presents findings of a study that surveyed 379 nonprofit bachelors'-degree-granting institutions in 1983-84 and 1991-92. Findings indicate that the less…

As of 2005, 15 states had adopted a broad-based merit aid program, providing a combined $1.2 billion for college students on the basis of academic qualifications. This represents a shift away from a long tradition of need-based aid at the state and federal levels. This article utilizes a Cox proportional hazards model to analyze states'…

Reports on a $1 billion dollar grant from Bill and Melinda Gates to send 20,000 low-income minority students to college. The Gates Millenium Scholars Program will require students to demonstrate financial need and maintain a 3.0 grade point average in college. A list of the largest private gifts to higher education since 1967 is also provided. (DB)

This volume provides information on more than 1,300 merit scholarships and other no-need funding programs available specifically to students already in college or students who are thinking about returning to college. Programs listed in the guide make decisions based upon student academic records, research skills, writing ability, creative…

The triple threat of cutbacks in state and federal funding to higher education, soaring college tuition, and shifting policy priorities for student aid leaves more Hispanic and other minority students behind. This stops them on the road to success and negatively impacts the nation's educated work force, for Hispanics are the youngest, largest…

This book examines issues in the provision of student financial aid within the context of continuing changes in governmental student aid policies and private sector decisions resulting in larger and larger shares of the cost of higher education being borne by individuals and their families. The two chapters of Part 1 first review the role student…

The use of merit scholarships to keep bright students at in-state colleges is discussed. Today more than half of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states have credited merit scholarships to encourage their top high school graduates to attend in-state colleges. While athletic scholarships often receive greater visibility, SREB states are…

The State of Alaska and many other states are concerned with the issue of public funding of private institutions. Alaska's State Tuition Equalization Program was ruled unconstitutional in 1976; currently there are no grants programs for students wanting to attend public and private institutions of higher education. The importance of federal and…

This volume provides information on 1,100 merit scholarships and other no-need funding programs available specifically to high school seniors applying to college. Programs listed in the guide make decisions based upon student academic records, writing or artistic ability, speech-making skills, religious or ethnic background, parents'…

This report, sixth in a series of updates by State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), is a comprehensive assessment of state policies related to public college and university tuition, fees, and financial aid. Significant variation was found among the states in the basic philosophy that guides decision making regarding tuition levels in…

This study, mandated by Virginia law in 1999, reviews need-based student financial aid programs. The mandate specifies that the study must review policies and implementation strategies used in other states; present alternative policies and administrative structures for need-based programs in Virginia; provide alternatives for a simplified,…

This report discusses the policy implications of the increasing role played by grants provided by colleges and universities as a source of financial aid for students and their families. It underscores the direct and indirect connections between changes in federal and state policy and institutions' aid programs, focusing on the effects of the…