The Federal Student Aid's (FSA's) Five-Year Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-24 (Five-Year Plan) establishes ambitious goals and objectives to ensure that FSA continues to provide access to higher education regardless of one's past educational experiences or socioeconomic status. This Five-Year Plan was informed by public comments; focus…

The federal government and the states each invested more than $70 billion in higher education-related spending programs, excluding loans, in academic year 2014, the latest year for which data are available. But that figure, as substantial as it is, does not paint a full picture of federal and state investments in higher education. It excludes the…

As the lowest-priced higher education institutions serving the greatest share of students in New England, public institutions are a crucial access point for the region's students who may not have other opportunities to enroll in college. Maintaining the cost of attending a public institution in New England is imperative for students, families,…

This white paper encourages board members to take a step back and think about long-term strategies for ensuring that financial aid policies are consistent with institutional mission at the same time that they serve fiscal and enrollment goals. While board members can determine financial aid and enrollment policies only at the broadest level, it is…

Income-share agreements (ISAs) are an emerging idea for helping students pay for college. Under an ISA, investors provide upfront sums of money toward students' college tuition and other associated costs in exchange for a fixed percentage of the recipients' earnings after graduation. This paper--the first in a series examining private financing in…

Policymakers, postsecondary education leaders, and researchers agree: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be a barrier to achieving this nation's college access goals. Concerns about the FAFSA's negative impact on enrollment and financial aid have sparked a bipartisan push to simplify and shorten the form by removing…

This exploratory phenomenological study examined the experiences of four high-achieving first-generation men (HAFGM) from rural Maine and the critical influences that have helped them succeed in their undergraduate studies. This study viewed HAFGM from an appreciative inquiry standpoint rather than a deficit model. Four key themes emerged: (1)…

This study explored how an alternative presentation of loan information affects financial-aid decisions among students (n = 204) at a large public university. Building from decision-aid literature and using an experimental design, we found that when financial-aid forms were formatted in a way that makes interest rates more accessible and salient,…

For nearly 50 years, the cost of higher education has risen faster than the pace of inflation, with federal student aid contributing to increasing tuition. In 1987, Secretary of Education William J. Bennett penned a "New York Times" article, "Our Greedy Colleges," in which he wrote, "If anything, increases in financial aid…

Applying for financial aid can be a complicated, time-consuming endeavor for students and their families. Fortunately, many state aid programs have taken strides to align aid applications to the form used for federal aid programs, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), making state aid more readily accessible. New conversations…

The aim of this hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is to foster a productive conversation about how schools are meeting the needs of veterans and service members, what more can be done to ensure veterans are not putting themselves into financial trouble in order to get an education and, ultimately identify what the…

While research consistently shows the earning power of college degrees, those returns are best weighed against the cost of attending post-secondary institutions, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) included. This study is an update of "Affordability of UNCF-Member Institutions" (2009), and compares the average costs at…

A Midwest community college's culinary arts program is experiencing a trending decline in student persistence to degree completion rates year after year. Low persistence to degree completion rates impacts post-traditional students, this community college, and employers. This research is needed, as this and other community colleges could inform…

College affordability is an increasingly important public policy issue. With decision-making power over funding to institutions, funding to students, and the pricing of institutions, states play a tremendous role in determining what students pay for college. In New England, these decisions are spread across institutional boards, system offices,…

Ohio has a world-class network of public colleges. However, the state lags behind the nation in college attainment. Recognizing that the state must improve these numbers, Ohio policymakers have committed to a goal of 65 percent college attainment by 2025. Despite the state's attainment goal, Ohio does not have a college promise program. The Ohio…