Federal Student Aid: Expanding Eligibility for Less Than Halftime Students Could Increase Program Costs, But Benefits Uncertain

United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2003-09-10 monographic deposited born digital 59 p. GA 1.13:GAO-03-905 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905 P0b002ee180373fe0 f:d03905 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905 GAO-03-905 Adult education Aid for education College students Educational grants Higher education Student financial aid Student loans Tax credit Dept. of Education Stafford Student Loan Program Other Written Product A08410 Federal Student Aid: Expanding Eligibility for Less Than Halftime Students Could Increase Program Costs, But Benefits Uncertain Despite the availability of federal, state, and other sources of student aid, concerns have been raised that adult undergraduates--those 24 and older--receive inadequate assistance in meeting the costs of postsecondary education, particularly those adults who take one to five credits per term (or less than halftime). These concerns have been raised because less-than halftime adult students are unable to participate in the largest federal student loan programs, the Stafford Loan programs, and they are eligible to receive only one of the two federal higher education tax credits, the Lifetime Learning tax credit. To better understand the needs of these adult students, GAO was asked to identify (1) the extent to which adults enroll less than halftime, the characteristics and factors associated with less-than- halftime enrollment, and the rates of completion among these students; (2) the extent to which adult students enrolled less than halftime receive federal, state, and other assistance to help them meet the cost of postsecondary education; and (3) the implications, including the budgetary impact, of changing the Pell Grant Program to allow less-than-halftime students to count room and board costs and personal expenses in their application for federal financial aid, and changing the Stafford loan programs to permit participation by less-than-halftime students. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905.pdf GAO-03-905 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-03-905 Other Written Product GAO-03-905; Federal Student Aid: Expanding Eligibility for Less Than Halftime Students Could Increase Program Costs, But Benefits Uncertain; Adult education Aid for education College students Educational grants Higher education Student financial aid Student loans Tax credit Dept. of Education Stafford Student Loan Program