Adjusting the Federal “Satisfactory Academic Progress” Policy to Better Serve Students

College students who lose financial aid eligibility due to satisfactory academic progress (SAP) criteria face significant financial barriers to continuing in or returning to higher education. A new brief from Higher Learning Advocates explains how SAP can negatively impact certain populations of students.

How Campuses Can Help Prepare Borrowers for the Resumption of Student Loan Repayments

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators recently released a report providing guidance to college and university leaders on how to support borrowers waiting for their student loan repayments to resume or those beginning repayment.

Understanding and Responding to the Financial Struggles of Student Parents

In a new brief, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shares findings from a national survey focused on student parents’ financial challenges and comparisons between student parents’ and non-parenting students’ financial circumstances, behaviors, and decisions related to funding or paying for their education.

Using SNAP Benefits to Reduce Student Food Insecurity and Improve College Completion

Today’s students must often navigate higher education and its associated costs while facing increased basic needs insecurity and limited need-based financial aid to close the gap. In a new brief, The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) suggests policy recommendations and changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to better meet students’ basic needs and position them to both enroll in and complete college degree programs.

Students of Color May Be Harmed by State-level Need-Based Aid Requirements

A new report from The Urban Institute highlights racial disparities in the distribution of state need-based aid. Using state enrollment data to assess patterns, researchers found consistent disparities existed in 11 states.

The Impact of FAFSA Completion on Pell Grant Funds

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has released data on Pell Grant distribution based on the number of high school graduates who had completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Over $3.6 billion of funding was left unallocated during 2022.

The Impact of COVID-19 Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed three pieces of legislation that granted a total of $76 million to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The Department of Education recently released a report detailing how this money was spent as well as the impact these funds had on student success and helping colleges and universities stay financially afloat.

Supporting Incarcerated Students With Second Chance Pell

The signing of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act canceled the ban on access to Pell Grants for formerly or currently incarcerated adults. A new report from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators looks at how to improve cross-sector collaboration and wrap-around services to help make this program a success.

New Report Shows Student and Institutional Benefits of Emergency Grant Programs

The Heckscher Foundation for Children commissioned a study of the State University of New York (SUNY) Student Emergency Fund (SEF), a program designed to increase student persistence by “providing emergency aid to low-income students who are experiencing temporary setbacks.”

New Report Finds Pell Grant Increasingly Does Not Cover Cost of Public Higher Education

Students who receive Pell Grants regularly turn to public two- and four-year colleges and universities for affordable and accessible higher education. However, a new report from the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) found Pell Grant students are increasingly unable to afford public higher education institutions across the United States, with only 24 percent of four-year institutions and 40 percent of two-year institutions being considered affordable in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Annual Report on State Financial Aid Funding Released

The National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs (NASSGAP) recently released an annual survey report on state student aid programs. The report highlights how states are funding student financial aid by providing descriptive overviews of the amount of and types of aid given from 2020 to 2021.

New Report Outlines How Community Colleges Can Help Reduce Students’ Food and Housing Insecurity

Title: Mission Critical: The Role of Community Colleges in Meeting Students’ Basic Needs Source: Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) Community colleges serve as an important access point to higher education; however, according to a new report, community colleges must also recognize and address students’ holistic needs to make education truly attainable. In CCCSE’s… Read more »