The primary purpose of this handbook is to help high school guidance counselors advise students seeking financial aid for postsecondary education. It provides information on sources of aid and how to apply for aid from the programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Also included are supplementary materials that suggest different…

This report examines the extent to which correspondence schools participate in the Stafford Student Load Program and the rates at which students from these schools default on their student loans. It is revealed that the average borrower default rate for students attending correspondence schools was more than double the rate, 42.2 percent versus…

This report compares education systems, incentives, and evidence of saving for education in four countries--Denmark, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States--with implications for the United Kingdom. The report's objective is to identify evidence of saving for education in each comparator country, along with government policies and mechanisms…

This publication provides an overview and discusses underlying issues of the college savings and prepaid tuition plans that are emerging in the states. Two papers offer different vantage points on college savings and prepaid plans in financing postsecondary education. The first paper, "The Evolution of State Plans" (Barbara M. Jennings),…

Analysis of data from a longitudinal study of Indiana high school students (n=56) reveals that parents are more interested than students in information about postsecondary education costs and student financial aid. It also suggests efforts to increase family knowledge should focus on general information rather than specific aid programs.…

Examines the extent to which the financial-aid system promotes access to postsecondary education by equalizing income differences. Describes ways in which students and their families cope with the increasing costs of college, and explores the consequences of full-time and part-time work on college persistence. (SLD)

A common set of economic pressures has led the various sectors of higher education to adopt entrepreneurial models of financing and service.

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…

Federal Student Aid's core mission is to ensure that all eligible Americans benefit from federal financial assistance--grants, loans and work-study programs--for education beyond high school. The programs administered comprise the nation's largest source of student aid: during the 2005-06 school year alone, approximately $78 billion in new aid was…

There is widespread agreement that the complexity of the current Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a barrier to college access and success. One indication is the large and growing number of lower income college students who do not apply for aid, even though they are likely eligible for a Pell grant: an estimated 1.5 million in…

This report addresses the dollar savings described in the Government Accounting Office's (GAO) report supporting direct lending as opposed to the present guaranteed student loan program. The critique explains the changes in the GAO model assumptions and projections that are believed necessary to move from the original $4.8 billion savings to a…

This report summarizes provisions of the budget reconciliation bills moving through Congress relating to postsecondary education including student loans and tax proposals. The House and Senate postsecondary education and tax authorizing committees reported reconciliation bills in June, 1997. These bills carried out the terms of the 5-year balanced…

This report provides results from a Minnesota state survey designed to identify the characteristics of the students enrolled in Minnesota colleges and how their families are financing their education. Data are presented from survey responses of 5,347 undergraduate college students. Information is presented separately for dependent and independent…

This study examines how federal, state, and institutional student aid promote equal educational opportunity by lowering the net cost of education that undergraduates and their parents must pay. It also considers some possible alternative federal policies concerning student aid that the 102nd Congress may wish to consider as it goes about…

This report describes the status of State and federal financial assistance available to students enrolled in postsecondary institutions located in New York State during the two academic years, 1987-88 and 1988-89. The introduction contains a brief overview of State and federal student assistance programs and highlights recent developments in those…