Postsecondary Institutions and Price of Attendance in 2011-12; Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2010-11; and 12-Month Enrollment: 2010-11 - This First Look presents preliminary data findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) fall 2011 collection, which included three survey components: Institutional Characteristics for the 2011-12 academic year, Completions covering the period July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011, and data on 12-Month Enrollment for the 2010-11 academic year. (NCES, July 2012)...

Federal Education Tax Benefits: Who Receives Them and to What Extent Do They Shape the Price of College Attendance? - This "Statistics in Brief" applies IRS rules and data to a nationally representative sample of 2007–08 undergraduates to estimate who received education tax benefits and looks at the extent to which these benefits shaped their price of college attendance. (Alexandria Radford and Lutz Berkner, U.S. Department of Education, November 2011)...

Debt to Degree: A New Way of Measuring College Success - Education Sector has created a new, comprehensive measure, the "borrowing-to-credential ratio." For each college, authors Kevin Carey and Erin Dillon have taken newly available U.S. Department of Education data showing the total amount of money borrowed by undergraduates and divided that sum by the total number of degrees awarded. The results are revealing. (Education Sector, August 2011)...

Postsecondary Institutions and Price of Attendance in the United States: Fall 2009, Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2008-09, and 12-Month Enrollment: 2008-09 - This report is based on the collection of data from more than 6,700 postsecondary education institutions that participate in the Title IV federal student financial aid programs. The purpose of the report is to introduce new data through the presentation of tables containing descriptive information. Only selected findings are presented rather than a discussion of all of the observed differences, and they are not meant to emphasize any particular issue. (Laura Knapp, Janice Kellly-Reid and Scott Ginder, National Center for Education Statistics, August 2010)...

How Parents and the Public Look at Higher Education Today - As a new generation of students approach college, new pressures color public attitude on higher education. This report provides insight into how the American public perceives higher education. The report shows a mixed response. Respondents stressed the importance and existing quality of higher education while also voicing uneasiness over the rising costs. Despite the financial concerns, most parents reported that they will “find a way” to afford college, and particularly in minority families, they reported a lack of college opportunity. From a leadership perspective, the report explains that while broad support for reform exists, policy makers are without a consensus on the course of that reform. (John Immerwahr, Paul Gasbarra, Jean Johnson, Amber Ott and Jonathan Rochkind, The Public Agenda for the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, May 2007)...

The Future of Private Loans - There are many options for financing postsecondary education, including government grants and loans, institutional aid, private scholarships and private loans. This report examines recent developments in the private loan industry, the characteristics of private loan borrowers and trends that might impact the growth of private loans in the future. (Courtney McSwain, Derek Price and Alisa Cunningham, Institute for Higher Education Policy, December 2006) ...

2003-04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04): Undergraduate Financial Aid Estimates for 12 States: 2003–04 - This report presents selected findings about the price of attendance and the types and amounts of financial aid received by in-state undergraduates enrolled in public 2-year, public 4-year, and private not-for-profit 4-year institutions during the 2003-04 academic year in 12 selected states. (Lutz Berkner and Christina Chang Wei, National Center for Education Statistics, October 2006) ...

Breaking through the Barriers to College - Many students in low-income or minority groups do not realize the availability and accessibility of financial aid and college education. In fact, as shown by the six challenges detailed in this report, many of the processes and much of the preparation involved in attaining and financing higher education actually act as barriers, preventing many students and their families from finding out that college is available to them. Included are suggestions for parents, students, community, and schools. (Mari Luna de la Rosa and William Tierney, USC Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis, October 2006) ...

Mortgaging Our Future: How Financial Barriers to College Undercut America's Global Competitiveness - This report argues that America’s global competitiveness depends on the ability of our high school graduates to earn at least a bachelor’s degree. As in recent decades, financial barriers are a major factor in preventing large numbers of college-qualified students from earning a bachelor’s degree, particularly those from low- and moderate-income families. This report follows by focuses on how financial barriers created by rising college prices and insufficient need-based financial aid undercut bachelor’s degree attainment in the United States. (The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, September 2006) ...

Promise Abandoned: How Policy Choices and Institutional Practices Restrict College Opportunities - This report criticizes trends in federal, state and college practices that discourage low-income and minority students from enrolling and graduating from college. Financial aid is increasingly being awarded to middle- and upper-income students, at the expense of poor young people, and too few low-income and minority students graduate from college once they’ve entered. The report notes that despite the perception of progress, gaps in college-going and college completion for poor and minority students are actually wider than they were thirty years ago. (Kati Haycock, The Education Trust, August 2006) ...

Student Financing of Undergraduate Education: 2003-04 - This report provides detailed information about undergraduate tuition and total price of attendance at various types of institutions, the percentage of students receiving various types of financial aid and the average amounts that they received. Selected finding include: (1) in 2003-04, 75% of all full-time undergraduates received some type of financial aid, with 50% taking out student loans ($6,200 average), and 62% receiving grants ($5,600 average); (2) the average tuition and fees for full-time undergraduates in 2003-04 were $2,000 at public 2-year, $5,400 at public 4-year and $18,400 at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions; (3) the total price of attendance for full-time undergraduates was $10,500 at public 2-year, $15,200 at public 4-year, and $28,300 at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions; and (4) after subtracting all financial aid (including loans), the average out-of-pocket net price of attendance for full-time low-income dependent undergraduates was $6,000 at public 2-year, $5,600 at public 4-year and $9,200 at private nonprofit 4-year institutions. (Lutz Berkner and Christina Chang Wei, National Center for Education Statistics, August 2006) ...

Dealing With Debt: 1992–93 Bachelor’s Degree Recipients 10 Years Later - Student loans have become an increasingly important source of financial aid for college students. The first part of this report describes the undergraduate borrowing patterns of 1992–93 bachelor’s degree recipients and their graduate enrollment and additional borrowing through 2003. The second part examines the repayment of undergraduate loans for bachelor’s degree recipients who had no additional degree enrollment, providing details on how many had finished repaying their loans by 2003, who were still repaying and how much, what their debt burden was, and how they had managed their Stafford loan repayment over the 10-year period. (Susan P. Choy, Xiaojie Li and C. Dennis Carroll, National Center for Education Statistics, June 2006) ...

Perceptions of College Financial Aid Among California Latino Youth - This policy brief discusses findings of a survey of California Latino youth perceptions of college financial aid that revealed: 98% of respondents felt it was important to have a college education; 38% of respondents did not feel the benefits of college outweigh the costs; not being able to work and incurring debt were the opportunity costs associated with going to college; over half of all respondents erroneously thought students have to be U.S. citizens to apply for college financial aid; few respondents could accurately estimate the cost of attending either the University of California or the California State University; and there is a lack of familiarity with government grants for education. The following policy implications are discussed: (1) delivery of translated financial aid information is not sufficient, (2) misperceptions about the affordability of college need to be addressed, and (3) greater awareness about government loan and grant programs is needed. (Maria Estela Zarate and Harry P. Pachon, The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, June 2006) ...

Trends in Student Aid - This report presents annual data on the amount of financial assistance – grants, loans, work-study and education tax benefits – distributed to students to help them pay for postsecondary education. (College Board, 2006) ...

Course Corrections: Experts Offer Solutions to the College Cost Crisis - As tuition rises across the country, the affordability of postsecondary education is of growing concern in the states. Produced by the Lumina Foundation, this report provides both state examples and ideas for cutting college costs and making higher education more accessible to students who are currently priced out of the system. A collection of policy experts and authors examine a variety of new solutions for making college affordable, including outsourcing, redesign, preparation and controlling textbook costs. (Lumina Foundation for Education, 2005)...

Affordability of Postsecondary Education: Equity and Adequacy Across the 50 States - As the cost of college continues to rise in state after state, policymakers are increasingly concerned with the affordability of a postsecondary education. This report from the Center for American Progress argues that decreases in the purchasing power of the federal Pell Grant, the institution of financial aid policies that benefit middle and upper-income students and the rising cost of higher education in the United States have created disparities in access and financial equity across the country. The report measures these disparities across the states, paying special attention to tuition increases and the availability of need-based financial aid. Despite claims to the contrary, the author concludes that steep tuition hikes have not been adequately offset by a corresponding increase in financial aid for low-income students. Numerous data tables explaining enrollment and funding patterns are also included. (Edward P. St. John, Center for American Progress and Institute for America's Future, 2005)...

Easy Money: How Congress Could Increase Federal Student Aid Funding at No Additional Cost to Taxpayers - By enticing colleges to participate in the direct-lending program instead of the guaranteed-loan program, the federal government could provide low-income students with an additional $300 billion a year, according to this report. The authors argue that the maximum Pell Grant award could increase by $600 next year by passing legislation that redirects subsidies currently going to student-loan companies to needy students instead. The report also claims the proposed "Student Aid Reward Act" could generate $4.4 billion in new federal money next year if colleges and universities switched to the more cost-effective Direct Loan program. A section that details state-by-state savings is included. (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, State Public Interest Research Groups’ Higher Education Project, U.S. Student Association, May 2005)...

Show Us the Money: Low-Income Students, Families and Financial Aid - One of the greatest obstacles facing low-income students as they apply for college is a lack of information about financial aid programs. According to this study conducted by the University of Southern California, many urban high schools are unable to disseminate even basic financial aid information to their students, including the types of programs available and how to apply. In addition to listing the challenges high school students face, this report also features an overview of financial aid programs and services, as well as information on college preparation programs. (Paz M. Oliverez and William G. Tierney, University of Southern California, 2005)...

The Student Aid Gauntlet: Making Access to College Simple and Certain - This report from the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance offers recommendations for simplifying the student aid process, thereby making college more accessible to a broader range of students. Recommendations include creating a system of early financial aid information, making the federal needs analysis consistent and fair and simplifying the verification process. (Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, January 2005)...

Trends in College Pricing 2005 - This report, based on the College Board’s Annual Survey of Colleges, provides updated information on tuition and other expenses associated with attending public and private nonprofit institutions of postsecondary education in the United States. It finds that the rate of increase in tuition across the country is higher in the 2000s than during the previous two decades. During the 2005-06 school year, tuition at public four-year and two-year colleges rose 7.1% and 5.4%, respectively, continuing a 20-year trend of tuition increases. It argues that while wealthy families can keep pace with the rising cost of tuition at postsecondary institutions, low-income and middle-class families increasingly struggle to afford a college education. (The College Board, 2005)...