Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and the Costs of Higher Education

Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and the Costs of Higher Education PDF

Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Human Resources

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13:

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This hearing on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, sought public comment in Maine on the cost of higher education and on Title IV of the Higher Education Act. Specifically, these hearings were intended to address the continuing low level of participation in higher education by Maine high school graduates, which was ascribed mainly to the fact that federal aid programs cover a smaller percentage of cost than they did 15 years ago. The hearing, chaired by Senator Susan M. Collins of Maine, heard statements from: Senator James M. Jeffords of Vermont; Senator Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, who planned to introduce a "Go to College" tax incentive act; Melissa Chasse, a student who gave examples of the various federal student aid programs that had enabled her to attend college James Peacock, certified school counselor; Mid-Maine Technical Center; Andrea Cross, director of financial aid, St. Joseph's College; institutional administrators and counselors from Maine colleges, who all noted repayment burdens faced by students; and education policymakers for the state of Maine, who noted the importance of federal student aid programs to students in the state. Walter Moulton, director of student aid at Bowdoin College, presented a prepared statement suggesting three changes to the bill which would: (1) provide an alternative to the Perkins Loan Program; (2) consolidate the Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) program; and (3) allow use of retirement assets to help meet educational expenses. (CH)

The Higher Education Act

The Higher Education Act PDF

Author: Congressional Research Service

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2015-01-16

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 9781507736722

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The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329) authorizes numerous federal aid programs that provide support to both individuals pursuing a postsecondary education and institutions of higher education (IHEs). Title IV of the HEA authorizes the federal government's major student aid programs, which are the primary source of direct federal support to students pursuing postsecondary education. Titles II, III, and V of the HEA provide institutional aid and support. Additionally, the HEA authorizes services and support for less-advantaged students (select Title IV programs), students pursing international education (Title VI), and students pursuing and institutions offering certain graduate and professional degrees (Title VII). Finally, the most recently added title (Title VIII) authorizes several other programs that support higher education. The HEA was last comprehensively reauthorized in 2008 by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA; P.L. 110-315), which authorized most HEA programs through FY2014. Following the enactment of the HEAO, the HEA has been amended by numerous other laws, most notably the SAFRA Act, part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152), which terminated the authority to make federal student loans through the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. Authorization of appropriations for many HEA programs expired at the end of FY2014 but has been extended through FY2015 under the General Education Provisions Act. This report provides a brief overview of the major provisions of the HEA.

College Costs and Prices

College Costs and Prices PDF

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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On the basis of the mean household income of a household in the bottom fifth of the population, the price of college in 2005 was 71.3% of their income. [...] This analysis focuses on overall mean household income and the mean household income of households in the lowest and highest 20% of households according to mean income, as well as households in the middle of this distribution of mean income (i.e., third or middle quintile). [...] While the discrepancy in growth diminished during the following decade, tuition increases continued to outpace the growth in mean household income, across public and private four-year institutions and public two-year institutions, as shown in Figure 3. 28 See, for example, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Losing Ground: A National Status Report on the Affordability of Am [...] Similar to the previous decade, the growth in tuition and fees continued to outpace the growth in mean income for all three income groups, but the difference in growth rates was particularly substantial for those in the lowest income group. [...] As a percentage of income, tuition consumed a larger proportion of mean household income for households in each of the quintiles over time for each of the education options considered in Table 4 but consistently consumed a larger share of household income for households in the lowest quintile.