News from the Pathways to College Network


October 2005
A Helping Hand: The Crucial Role of Financial Aid in College Access Recently released by the Pathways to College Network, Early Commitment Financial Aid Programs: Promises, Practices, and Policies looks at programs that use the promise of financial aid to encourage middle and high school students to prepare for and apply to college. These "early commitment" programs began to gain recognition in the 1980s, when Eugene Lang famously promised a class of East Harlem sixth graders that money would be available to send them to college. Today early commitment programs encompass a variety of privately-, institutionally-, and state-sponsored initiatives. This paper analyzes the characteristics of such initiatives, as well as the evidence of their effectiveness in increasing access to college for low-income youth. The study addresses one of the major priorities of the Pathways to College Network in our financial aid focus area, and represents our commitment to finding ways to lower the cost barrier for low-income students. The paper was authored by Cheryl Blanco, Senior Program Director of Policy Analysis and Research at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), and jointly published by three Pathways partners: WICHE, the College Board, and The Education Resources Institute.
The student aid gauntlet: Making access to college simple and certain The major finding of this simplification study from the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance is that a sweeping and cost-effective simplification initiative could significantly improve access and increase the return on the nation's investment in student financial aid. The report endorses early aid notification for low-income youth, a variation of the "early commitment" concept described in the Pathways paper, and creating an aid information system to increase student and family awareness of aid options. In September, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee unanimously passed an HEA reauthorization bill incorporating most of the recommendations in the study. [Read It] Private scholarships count In this first-ever comprehensive study of the role of private scholarships in college access, the Institute for Higher Education Policy makes the case that although they make up just 7% of all scholarships, scholarships from private sources play a vital role in opening doors to higher education. The report recommends increasing the number of scholarship programs, their aid capacity, enhancing communication among scholarship providers, and fostering more research on private aid. [Read It] How Latino students pay for college This report from Excelencia in Education and the Institute for Higher Education Policy is the first of its kind to disaggregate participation rates for Latino students in financial aid programs. It shows Latino students lagging behind other groups in the size of financial aid awards. In 2003-2004, Latino students received an average financial aid award of $6,250, as compared to a national average of $6,890. [Read It] Pathways financial aid brochure This brochure summarizes the Pathways Network's key findings in the area of financial aid policy. The brochure lists strategies corresponding to each finding and identifies the appropriate target (federal government, state governments, or institutions) for each strategy. [Read It] Show us the money: Low-income students, families, and financial aid This study from the University of Southern California Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis examines the relationship between financial aid awareness and college enrollment by taking an in-depth look at the way financial aid information is communicated to students and families in 11 California schools. [Read It] More Good Reads NASSGAP 35th annual survey report on state-sponsored student financial aid National postsecondary student aid study: Student financial aid estimates for 2003–04 Borrowers who drop out: A neglected aspect of the college student loan trend
Trends in College Pricing 2005, College Board The College Board's Trends in College Pricing 2005 shows a slowing of tuition increases at public institutions compared to the previous two years, and increases at private four-year colleges that are similar to last year's. [Read it]	Trends in Student Aid 2005, College Board The companion report, Trends in Student Aid 2005, shows average grant aid per student growing, but not fast enough to prevent increased reliance on loans. [Read it]
The Pathways to College Network http://www.pathwaystocollege.net