A college degree is one of the most expensive purchases an American family can make. While today's costs are higher than ever before, parents have many more options whose sheer number and complexity have given rise to a whole new field-financial planning for college. This article, which is based on materials created for the enrollment management…

This newsletter issue focuses on the roles played by higher education finance and student financial aid in ensuring broad access to higher education. Specifically, the report discusses trends in family income and college costs that affect the need for student aid. The report finds that income remains a primary determinant of students' educational…

Results of two follow-up surveys of 1983 California high school graduates are presented. A sample of 1983 California public and private high schools graduates were surveyed in January 1984 to determine their fall 1983 activities (e.g., postsecondary studies, employment, military service). In May 1984, respondents to a second survey indicated their…

This report analyzes key student financial aid need issues in preparation for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The issues discussed in the report were chosen by the College Scholarship Service's Council Committee on Standards of Ability to Pay, for discussion at the College Board's Regional Assemblies. The issues include: (1)…

The need for advance planning to finance college studies is addressed. It is suggested that financial aid officers should stop thinking about this year's family income and current assets as a pool of resources to be tapped to pay for this year's parental contribution to college costs. Instead, income and assets might be viewed as indicators of a…

Information on sources of student financial aid for the 1985-1986 academic year is provided, along with an overview of need analysis in general, and the American College Testing Program (ACT) system. This guide, which is designed for counselors, provides answers to more than 100 frequently-asked questions about financial aid, and a description of…

The influence of social class on students' entrance to graduate and professional education was examined by analyzing data from a large longitudinal sample. Students who did not go on to further study tended to come from less affluent and less well educated families, while students who went to professional schools came from wealthier and better…

The interaction of public assistance and student aid is examined, and the effects of these uncoordinated yet overlapping programs on individuals enrolling in postsecondary education programs are assessed. Focus is on the major financial support program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and the most important student aid program,…

New Jersey aids private institutions but is deficit in low-priced open access to public colleges. Discussed is higher education in New Jersey in light of this historical condition; pricing policy; social equity; decisions, especially regarding institutional support, student aid, and public tuition; and the "free market." While the…

During the 1975 fall orientation, a questionnaire prepared by the American Council on Education (ACE) was administered to approximately 80 percent of the entering freshman class at the University of South Carolina (USC) in a study of class characteristics. A total of 366 other institutions of higher education, including 44 universities, also…

The College Scholarship Service (CSS) need analysis system is described in this comprehensive guide. It includes information about the basic rationale, the economic principles, and the computational procedures used in the CSS system. The chapters deal with the following: principles and practices of student financial aid administration; the history…

This study tested a causal model of the development of spatial visualization based on a synthesis of past and present research. During the summer and fall of 1999, 117 third- and fourth-year undergraduates majoring in architecture, mathematics, mathematics education, and mechanical engineering completed a spatial visualization test and a…

An annual analysis of external factors affecting higher education and its governance identified five priority areas, in descending order of importance: (1) public opinion toward higher education; (2) family income and savings rate; (3) demographic trends, particularly concerning nontraditional students; (4) national educational policy; and (5) the…

This report presents a localized perspective on Tennessee higher education for the year 2007, including: (1) county demographic and economic data; (2) information on public and private colleges and universities located in the county; and (4) number of county residents participating in the state's primary need-based and merit-based financial aid…

As student loan indebtedness has more than doubled in the past decade, it has become important to examine the effects of undergraduate debt on graduate school attendance. The significant increase in student borrowing can be attributed primarily to the passage of the Higher Education Amendments of 1992, which increased federal student loan limits…