"Aiding Success: The Role of Federal and State Financial Aid in Supporting California Community College Students" documents the variation in student graduation and transfer rates by students' financial situation. The authors of "Aiding Success" analyzed detailed financial aid and student success data from the California…

This hearing is the third in a series examining critical issues in postsecondary education as the committee looks to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The topic discussed is of paramount importance and is arguably the bedrock of Federal higher education policy, that is, the Federal financial aid programs and their effectiveness in providing…

This report proposes a more reliable method of determining the subsidies required by independent students. The current Federal methodology for need analysis provides a crude index for determining eligibility. This report takes an innovative approach to determining independent students' ability to pay for education. It challenges many of the…

This paper outlines the major issues to be considered, and the tasks to be undertaken, by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance's Subcommittee on Need Analysis and Delivery System. In particular, the subcommittee's plans to address the following three areas are described: (1) opportunities for further simplification and…

Congress made significant revisions in the methods used to evaluate families' income and college expenses to decide how much aid students should receive. Administrators say that needy students will receive less aid next year, although some students who do not need more aid will be eligible for it. (MLW)

A review of the conceptual and operational roots of student financial aid gives a brief history of federal programs, provides a statistical profile of federal postsecondary aid since 1970, examines the complexities of need analysis and delivery systems, and outlines policy goals for the 1990s. (MSE)

The process of reauthorization of college student financial aid legislation may be instrumental in reducing the burden and complexity of the financial aid application and need analysis process through simplification. Exempting some students, permitting more to use simplified need analysis, and streamlining reapplication are steps in the right…

This report outlines the progress and the plans of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, a group created by the 1986 amendments to the Higher Education Act to strengthen the federal student aid programs to ensure equal opportunity through access to postsecondary education. The report begins with descriptions of the Title IV…

This briefing document summarizes issues on simplifying need analysis and delivery in the context of Higher Education Act reauthorization proposals. First, brief summaries of seven key issues are presented followed by three or four recommendations for each issue, and a list of recommended actions as proposed by the Department of Education and the…

The beneficiaries of state grant programs, the amount of aid students receive, and policies that affect the utility of aid are considered, based on the 1982-1983 report of the National Association of State Scholarship and Grant Programs. For both need-based and non-need-based programs, attention is directed to eligibility criteria for students,…

Student aid records from a national sample of aid recipients attending independent colleges and universities with enrollments of more than 500 students were evaluated. It was found that recent reductions in federal student assistance and restrictions placed on program eligibility reduced substantially the number and proportion of low-income…

This report discusses the Federal Pell Grant Program, the largest need-related federal postsecondary student grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Education, along with recent changes in the program authorized by the 1992 Amendments to the Higher Education Act. The program is designed to assist student from low-income families who…

This report uses government data to review current, past, and proposed tax-based policies and programs to promote college affordability as well as need-based grant aid. Tax-incentive-based programs include savings bonds for education, employer-provided educational assistance, state college savings plans, deductibility of student loan interest,…

Federal policies toward higher education and their interaction (or lack of interaction) with state policies are described. Characterized are the differing historical roles played by the state and federal governments in shaping American higher education. Administrative arrangements, types, and dimensions of federal funding for students and…

Reviews the basic concepts governing student aid funding and the mechanics of delivery, including a review of the development of current federal financial aid programs, the complexities of determining student need, institutional responsibility, and suggested areas for institutional research. Notes that the challenges ahead include strengthening…