In this article, one particular complex of issues being considered by Congress as part of the Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization process is addressed. These issues have to do with the rising costs of college attendance, their consequent impact on accessibility, and the appropriate federal role, if any, in regulating price increases. As a…

The study uses individual data from the Canadian Labour Force Survey to consider economic factors in university participation decisions by persons aged 17-24 from 1976 to 2003. The level of real tuition is one economic factor that may affect the university participation decision. There is also regional variation in the opportunity cost of…

No single factor will determine the future quality of life for all residents in Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states more than whether enough adults earn college degrees and technical certificates. Gone is the dominance of agriculture and manufacturing in most SREB states. These states now must compete in a knowledge economy, but are…

The strong urgings of family, economists and educators have been heard: Students in record numbers have picked up the challenge of higher education and are headed for college. And leading the march through the college gates have been young men and women sometimes notable by their absence--Black, Hispanic and American Indian, and students from…

The vast disparities in college attendance and graduation rates between students from different class backgrounds is a growing social concern. "Economic Inequality and Higher Education" investigates the connection between income inequality and unequal access to higher education, and proposes solutions that the state and federal governments and…

This document discusses issues relating to recent findings from the Congressional Budget Office relating to the cost of a college education. A groundbreaking new study from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) sheds some light on issues of college affordability and accessibility. The January 2004 study, entitled "Private and Public Contributions…

Discusses how, as more countries have instituted or increased tuition, student loans have spread. But the programs are a flop in much of the world, raising fears that many low-income people will be shut out of higher education. (EV)

This essay, based on a roundtable discussion held by institutional leaders, policymakers, and other citizens concerned with the vitality of the state's public and private colleges and universities, focuses on California's efforts to provide access to higher education and sustain quality in the face of a growing student body of adult and…

Summarizes prior studies with a focus on untangling how changes in student financial aid policy have influenced changes in opportunity. Also recommends new strategies for lowering student loan debt, increasing federal and state cooperation in providing adequate need-based grant aid, and developing policies that target debt forgiveness for…

Discusses lessons concerning the financing of higher education drawn from previous recessions and describes the differences inherent in the current recession and its potential impact on growing college enrollments, particularly the increasing demand from low-income and minority students. (EV)

This paper describes the outcomes of a study that investigated if 153 college students at three local educational institutions (university, state college, community college) with mobility and functional impairments would have educational profiles different from nondisabled students and each other and, if so, the reasons for any differences.…

Financing higher education for a growing number of young men and women in the face of steadily rising costs is becoming a crucial problem in the United States. This report is concerned with one major aspects of the problem: namely, what it costs students to attend college and where they get the money for this purpose. Next to the student and his…

The complexity of the federal tax code has been the focus of reform efforts for decades, and has received considerable attention in the economic literature. The federal system for distributing student financial aid is similarly convoluted, yet has received relatively little attention from economists. For the typical household, the aid application…

This report presents the results of a study of higher education in California, focusing on the impending fiscal crisis of increasing demand, tuition, and costs. The study found that at a time when the educational needs for productive employment are increasing, college costs and demand are rising faster than funding. Until now, institutions have…

Essays and reflections were gathered to create a guide to the college experience for African American students. A survey of the opinions and attitudes of over 1,500 black students at colleges and universities asked what situations or problems confronted them in being admitted to colleges and what problems they encountered in their first year at…