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A letter from Lumina's Federal Policy team in response to a request from U.S. Senators. This letter points out some actions that the federal government can take to address disparities in borrower outcomes and make higher education equitable for all. Lumina Foundation

At least twenty states and the District of Columbia have “tuition equity” laws or policies that permit certain students who have attended and graduated from secondary schools in their state to pay the same tuition as their “in-state” classmates at their state’s public institutions of higher education, regardless of their immigration status. Over 75 percent of the nation’s foreign-born population live in states with tuition equity laws or policies, and other states are considering similar measures. In many of the states that have adopted these policies, support has been strongly bipartisan. This report points out the basic facts about in-state tuition for undocumented immigrant students. National Immigration Law Center

Currently, at least twenty states and the District of Columbia have laws or policies allowing students who meet specific requirements, regardless of their immigration status, to pay in-state tuition rates at public postsecondary institutions. Also, at least eight states and the District of Columbia provide access to state financial aid to students who meet certain criteria, regardless of their immigration status. The table draws the legislation and financial aid per state. National Immigration Law Center

Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) are institutions of higher education that serve high concentrations of minority students who, historically, have been underrepresented in higher education. Many MSIs have faced challenges in securing adequate financial support, thus affecting their ability to develop and enhance their academic offerings and ultimately serve their students. Federal higher education policy recognizes the importance of such institutions and targets financial resources to them. Funding for MSIs is channeled through numerous federal agencies, and several of these funding sources are available to MSIs through grant programs authorized under the Higher Education Act of 1965. This report describes the several programs devoted to financially assisting MSIs under the HEA. This report does not attempt to describe all HEA programs for which an MSI may be eligible; rather, it aims to describe those programs that are directed specifically toward one or more types of MSIs. MSIs are eligible for other federal programs for which IHEs and nonprofit organizations are eligible if they meet the program eligibility criteria. Congressional Research Service

Over the last three decades, the cost of college has increased nearly four times faster than the median family income. Financial aid has not filled this growing gap, resulting in “unmet financial need.” Many of today’s college students fit a “post-traditional” student profile, in that they are independent, adults age 25 and older, parents, and work more than 20 hours per week. This report uses guiding principles to recommend reforms to the federal student aid and work-study programs to increase post-traditional student success in higher education. These principles include: 1) increase economic opportunity for all students; 2) provide clear and transparent federal aid; 3) use evidence based practices to serve low-income, disadvantaged students; 4) ensure federal aid and a manageable amount of work and loans are adequate to complete postsecondary education for qualified students; 5) address all barriers to degree completion; and 6) hold institutions receiving federal funding accountable for keeping college affordable and strengthening student success. These policy recommendations for redesigning the student aid system are designed to help all students afford and complete college. A five-member consortium comprised of Excelencia in Education, the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP, College Board, the Committee for Economic Development, and the National Urban League authored this brief, which was made possible through the support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Excelencia in Education Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP College Board Committee for Economic Development National Urban League

Student loan default, defined as federal loan borrowers’ failure to make any payments for at least 270 days, is an issue of increasing importance to community colleges and their students. Just 17 percent of community college students borrow federal loans, but with college costs rising faster than grant aid or family incomes, more students are turning to federal loans to help fill the gap. Driven in part by a sluggish economy in communities across the country, the share of borrowers who default on their federal loans has also been rising. This report details issues about student loan defaults across nine colleges, the strategies colleges use to help students repay their loans, and the federal policies that are needed to enhance community colleges’ efforts to reduce or prevent delinquency and default. The Association of Community Colleges Trustees (ACCT) The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)

The federal government plays an indispensable role in helping community college students pay for their education. It is hard to imagine today’s community college campuses without needs-based federal student aid, such as the Pell Grant program and subsidized loans. There are, however, significant differences between community college students and college undergraduates overall in the sources and extent of the financial aid they use. This report is intended to examine some of these issues. American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)

Given the high rate of unauthorized immigration, there have been widespread calls for an overhaul of the federal immigration system. However, Congress has failed to enact the needed reform legislation, and over time, the climate for discussion has become increasingly partisan. With frustration growing, states across the nation have sought their own solutions, responding with record numbers of immigration laws. This report points out some state policies in regard to undocumented students access to higher education. American Association of State Colleges and Universities

Actual and projected changes in the federal appropriations for direct student assistance programs in the early days of the Reagan presidency as well as rising educational costs were expected to adversely affect the enrollment of continuing financial aid recipients. Previous literature in financial aid has documented the relationship between financial aid and decisions about college, particularly for minority and low income students applying for the first time to less selective colleges. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship between changes in amount of financial aid and the reported enrollment plans of a sample of past need-based aid recipients. A survey was mailed to a random sample of 1,347 students who received financial assistance under Virginia's College Scholarship Assistance Program (CSAP) during 1981-82. Responses were received from 767 students. No significant differences between respondents and nonrespondents were determined. Analysis of the data collected through the survey instrument revealed that the vast majority of the respondents planned to continue at the same college (88.3%) and only a very small proportion planned to withdraw (4.1%) or transfer to another college (7.5%). Approximately 40 percent of the respondents lost more than $500 in aid between 1982-83 and the previous year. When the decision to continue or transfer was examined by selected individual and institutional characteristics and by change in amount of aid, the variables of race, grades, grade level, and institutional cost and selectivity explained a significant portion of enrollment behavior. Respondents attending low cost and nonselective institutions, minorities, freshmen, and those with lower grades were found to be more likely than average to change their enrollment plans by transferring. The addition of change in amount of financial aid received across two years had no statistical effect when added to the variables of race or grades and only a very slight effect in increasing the likelihood of changing plans for freshman and for respondents enrolled in nonselective, low cost institutions. Parental income was not found to be significantly associated with change in enrollment plan for dependent students. Little of the variation in enrollment plans was explained by change in the amount of financial aid received. Financial concerns appeared to weigh most significantly for those planning to continue at the same college. Ed. D.