Some community colleges have expressed concerns that their students borrow more than they need in federal loans. However, "the data do not support claims of 'over-borrowing' at community colleges." The vast majority of community college students do not borrow federal loans at all, and the few who do borrow do not take out large loan…

Escalating poverty rates and economic instability are creating intensifying pressures for higher education. Historically, the U.S. has relied on higher education, in particular community colleges, to help solve both problems by providing educational opportunities to thousands of individuals who would have not been able to go to college and by…

Tertiary-level educational provision is being increasingly fragmented by government policies, with malign consequences for students and institutions. As currently constituted, higher education works to entrench inequalities and devalue qualifications, while bipartisanship around the future of further education risks reprising past failures. What…

This paper examines factors influencing the number of minority students enrolling in library schools during the 10 years prior to 1978. Robbins notes that there are four categories of barriers likely obstructing recruitment of students of color into LIS programs: financial, educational, psychosocial, and cultural. [For the commentary on this…

This article presents three lessons from research by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) on strategies community colleges can use to improve completion rates while maintaining broad access and keeping costs low for students and taxpayers. I also identify two sets of data pointing to the potential returns to students and society that could…

Education provides one of the best opportunities for American children to build the capacity to climb up the economic ladder. It has even been called the "great equalizer" in American society. In today's tightened labor market, providing equal access to postsecondary education is more critical than ever. The Georgetown Center on…

A recent report by the College Board might be an indicator of how fast the sands of higher education are shifting. The prices that most people actually pay for college, which had remained stable for several years, are on the rise again, as tuition and other cost increases outpace financial aid awards. In its latest annual survey, the College Board…

The "2018-19 Counselors and Mentors Handbook on Federal Student Aid" provides useful information to help high school counselors, TRIO and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) staff, and other mentors advise students about financial aid for postsecondary education. This book focuses on the federal…

The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) Data Book is a compilation of reports on the Utah System of Higher Education and its eight component institutions. Some form of this book has been published each year since the creation of the Utah State Board of Regents and the Utah System of Higher Education in 1969. The book is intended to allow the…

The perception of college affordability and financing is a grim one, fueled by the very real rising costs of higher education, as well as media coverage of how much students and their families are borrowing. While this perception is understandable given the realities of paying for college, how do students and parents feel about the process of…

Facilitating economically disadvantaged students' access to higher education is an important goal of educational policy. However, some practices toward this goal are based on theories and assumptions not informed by the students' conditions or needs. The purpose of this study was to understand the challenges faced by students from high poverty,…

Imagine students attending colleges and universities around the country having their financial needs met without the use of federal loans, Pell Grants, and higher education tax credits. In "Starting from Scratch: A New Federal and State Partnership in Higher Education," New America's Higher Education Policy Program shares its vision for…

This guide is designed for counselors, teachers, and advisers who work with high school students from low-income families and students who are the first in their families to pursue a college education. It offers strategies for helping these students identify, consider, and enroll in "match" colleges--that is, selective colleges that are…

Families flummoxed about what college will cost them have more information at their disposal than ever before. The Internet offers tuition data, advice on saving and borrowing, and explanations of financial aid. New online calculators let families estimate their bottom-line price at any college. But not all the information out there is easy to…

This Statistics in Brief examines background and educational characteristics, plans for college, postsecondary enrollment, and postsecondary completion patterns of first-generation college students and their peers whose parents have college degrees. The brief also explores how postsecondary plans, attendance, and completion varies between these…