Most states award the bulk of their aid to students based on financial need. Since the 1990s, many Southern states have instead focused on metrics like grades and test scores.
Financial Aid
Posted inRace and Equity
How popular merit scholarships have perpetuated racial inequities across the South
The rhetoric from these programs’ advocates has been that they expand opportunity equally, but the reality is that they have not.
Posted inMississippi
Report: Mississippi’s proposed college aid program will create ‘new problems’ for low-income students
“Designing programs that allow students who cannot afford college on their own is the most promising strategy for ensuring a high return on the state’s investment.”
Posted inMississippi
Mississippi to award new forgivable loan programs for health-related degrees for first time since 2015
After years of budget woes, the Legislature fully funded Mississippi’s college financial aid programs this session.
Posted inThe Dispatch
Life without loans
When one of your monthly bills suddenly disappears, what do you do with that newfound cash? That’s been the question for roughly 40 million Americans during the pandemic as the government froze repayments on student loans.
Posted inMississippi
‘From the ground up’: How one community-run program is getting more kids to college
In Greenville, Miss., 19 percent of adults over 25 have a bachelor’s degree, compared with the national average of 33 percent. A new initiative is focusing on helping more local students get financial aid.
Posted inColorado
Colorado lawmakers may waive college tuition for foster youth
In Colorado, only 1 out of 10 kids in foster care age 13 or older enter college by the time they turn 21.
Posted inIndianapolis
Proposed Indiana law could unlock millions in college financial aid
Indiana ranked in the bottom half of states last year for FAFSA completion, with 55.9% of seniors filing.
Posted inHigher Ed in Prisons
A surprising barrier to college for Florida’s prison population
Being locked up in a Florida prison doesn’t make someone a Florida resident. And out-of-state tuition usually puts college out of reach.
Posted inColorado
How Colorado could get more students to complete the FAFSA
The state’s rate is low partly because it has not mapped out how to improve it, one expert said.