Date of Award

1998

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Patricia A. Somers

Abstract

Almost from the inception of the student loan program in the 1960's, there has been speculation about the impact of debtload on student decisions about attending college, persisting in college, and life decisions after graduation. However, little research has been done on this area. As Congress debates funding higher education, the question arises once more of the impact of loans on college student attendance. This study examines the influence of student debtload on college persistence, for the time periods 1986-87 and 1995-96, almost an entire decade. Using the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) of 1986-87 and the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study of 1995-96, the study will analyze the effect of the "policy drift" in federal financial aid policy. A recent study by the author using the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) of 1992-93 indicated a negative effect of accumulated debt on within-year persistence of four-year college students. This study is intended to gauge the effects on within-year persistence of four-year college students differentiated by income level of the significant shift in federal policy from a commitment to promote access through need-based grants to a broader strategy of loans regardless of family income or need.

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