The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation "Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery” (RADD) project has helped many organizations to issue reports and whitepapers calling for a sound and substantive review of federal financial aid how they could be improved in the future.

This page is NCHER's resource dedicated to this effort.  Below you will find links to the proposals themselves and documents that include supplementary analysis provided by NCHER.

 

The American Dream 2.0 - National Organizations’ Aid Reports  

Item Name		Posted By	Date Posted
Redesigning the Pell Grant Program - College Board PDF (154.23 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	5/21/2014
The College Board & federal grants & work-study consortia issued policy brief entitled, "Redesigning the Pell Grant Program to Boost Access and Completion" The paper proposes to: • Create a simpler federal financial aid application process by limiting required financial data to just 2 elements: Adjusted Gross Income & number of exemptions – information available from the IRS; • Use ‘prior-prior year’ data for the FAFSA to ensure the majority of tax filers can populate financial fields with accurate and available IRS data in a timely way; • Develop a more transparent federal aid eligibility determination using award look-up tables that allow low- and moderate-income students to predict their Pell Grant awards well in advance of applying for aid; • Increase opportunity through early information, guidance & support services, & federal funded education accounts; & • Design student & institutional incentives to help Pell Grant recipients complete their postsecondary credentials
From Access to Completion - Nat'l Urban League PDF (932.93 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	5/15/2014
From Access to Completion: A Seamless Path to College Graduation for African American Students The National Urban League released report, "From Access to Completion: A Seamless Path to College Graduation for African Americans finds that 65% of African American college students are categorized as "non-traditional" or "independent" meaning they tend to be older and employees first, balancing work & family responsibilities while going to school. The report finds that the work and family dynamics that characterize these students have a direct impact on the kind of school they choose to attend, their matriculation, their completion rates & the amount of financial aid they receive. The report concludes that these students require a comprehensive, customized approach that includes strengthening the Pell Grant program to better align with rising tuition costs & student need; incorporating a suite of services that address the challenges & barriers to to completion these students face.
Automatic for the Borrower PDF (770.36 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	3/20/2014
How Repayment Based on Income Can Reduce Loan Defaults and Manage Risk This paper is the culmination of work by a consortium of five student-aid advocacy and research organizations – HCM Strategists, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), New America (NA), and Young Invincibles (YI) – with assistance from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Committee for Economic Development (CED), the National Campus Leadership Council (NCLC), and the National College Access Network (NCAN). The proposals contained in this paper reflect research conducted by and discussions between members of the consortium. However, not all proposals included in this paper are supported by all groups in the consortium. Financial support for this research was provided by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery (RADD) project.
Mapping the Postsecondary Data Domain - IHEP PDF (616.41 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	3/14/2014
The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) issued policy brief, entitled "Mapping the Postsecondary Data Domain: Problems and Possibilities,” that looks at inadequacies in existing postsecondary data as increasing emphasis is placed on the "value” of a degree. The report reviews how existing national data sets can be amended, added to, or linked together. The paper, along with its accompanying technical report, then maps these measures against current data systems like the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the National Student Loan Data System, and moves forward with identifying gaps in knowledge about postsecondary institutions, and proposing improvements that would fill those gaps.
College Board RADD 2.0 Policy Brief PDF (139.3 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2014
Back to Basics: Simplifying the Financial Aid Process to Increase Access & Success
College Board RADD 2.0 Press Release PDF (71.5 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2014
College Board Unveils RADD 2.0 Recommendations with Focus on Simplification, Transparency in the Financial Aid Process

Item Name		Posted By	Date Posted
AASCU Proposed Federal Matching Program PDF (432.23 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	1/17/2014
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) issued policy brief, “A Proposed Federal Matching Program to Stop the Privatization of Public Higher Education.” The paper is a product of phase two of the Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery (RADD) initiative, Grants and Work-Study Consortia, led by the Education Trust, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. AASCU proposes a new “Federal-State College Affordability Partnership”—a federal matching grant program aiming to “incentivize states to boost operating support for public higher education, in turn mitigating tuition price increases and improving college affordability.” The grant program would be capped at $15 billion and “the federal grant award for each state would be calculated based upon how much money the state provides for public higher education operating support, on a per FTE [full-time equivalent] student basis, compared to the Pell Grant maximum award.
Improving the Financial Aid System PDF (7.88 MB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	5/14/2013
This report from America’s Promise Alliance summarizes themes from a roundtable on “Re-Imagining the Financial Aid System” convened at America’s Promise third annual Building a Grad Nation Summit. The report focuses on an “information gap” caused by a lack of data on college cost and a complicated financial aid application process.
APLU-Access and Completion Summary PDF (14.85 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
The Association of Public Land Grant Universities (APLU) today released a set of proposals that seek to improve the federal student aid process while at the same time boosting college access and success. The paper, entitled "Federal Student Aid: Access and Completion,” discusses the development of a "student risk index” which would help the U.S. Department of Education and others to acknowledge and take into consideration the effects of the risk characteristics of the students enrolled in a particular college or university. APLU used three guiding principles to develop the recommendations: balance admissions selectivity, adjust for student risk in assessing institutional performance and student outcomes, and insist on satisfactory academic progress for continued student eligibility.
CLASP-Reforming Student Aid Summary PDF (23.92 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is the latest organization to issue a white paper with ideas to reimagine federal student aid. Entitled "Reforming Student Aid: How to Simplify Tax Aid and Use Performance Metrics to Improve College Choices and Completion,” the report describes college affordability and completion challenges and provides detailed policy options for Congress and the Obama Administration on making federal aid more effective, more efficient, and simpler for students and parents to use. The report focuses on two major policy areas: tax-based student aid and the use of performance metrics in aid policy. CLASP indicates that tax-based student aid now accounts for nearly half of all federal student aid outside of loans and has more than quadrupled in recent years. However, the report notes that as currently designed, tax-based aid likely has little effect on college access or completion.
Education Trust-Doing Away With Debt Summary PDF (23.98 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
The Education Trust has released a report entitled "Doing Away With Debt: Using Existing Resources to Ensure College Affordability for Low and Middle-Income Families” that proposes a redesign of the federal financial-aid system to increase college completion, reduce student debt, and close the opportunity and attainment gaps that consign so many talented young Americans to lives on the margins of our society. Education Trust calls for a shared responsibility among the federal government, state governments, institutions of higher education, and students themselves to help low-income and working-class students complete college with no loans and middle-income students to do the same with no-interest loans and affordable, income-based repayments.
Excelencia-Using A Latino Lens... Summary PDF (14.3 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
Excelencia in Education also released a white paper as part of the Gates Foundation reimaging aid project titled "Using A Latino Lens To Reimagine Aid Design And Delivery.” Excelencia states its research demonstrates that Latinos are more likely to be post-traditional students who, for example, enroll at a community college, take courses part-time while working, study online and at multiple institutions, live off-campus with family, and take more than four years to complete a degree.
HCM Coalition - American Dream 2.0 Summary PDF (14.86 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
A coalition of higher education policy experts have released a report, entitled "American Dream 2.0: How financial aid can help improve college access, affordability, and completion,” that examines the issue of declining higher education affordability and completion, providing recommendations for simplifying and increasing access to federal student aid. Sponsored by the Gates Foundation with assistance from HCM Strategists, the report is intended to be the start of a national dialogue on more effective financial aid investments.
HCM Strategists-Doing Better for More Students PDF (24.99 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
A coalition of higher education policy experts have released a report, entitled "American Dream 2.0: How financial aid can help improve college access, affordability, and completion,” that examines the issue of declining higher education affordability and completion, providing recommendations for simplifying and increasing access to federal student aid. Sponsored by the Gates Foundation with assistance from HCM Strategists, the report is intended to be the start of a national dialogue on more effective financial aid investments.
IHEP-Making Sense of the System Summary PDF (10.89 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) has issued a new white paper, entitled "Making Sense of the System: Financial Aid for the 21st-Century Student,” that outlines 13 federal policy recommendations for improving the financial aid system so that more students can attend and succeed in college, and ultimately obtain a degree. The paper, funded by the Gates Foundation through its Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery (RADD) Project, is one of several proposals on the topic to be released by various higher education advocacy groups.
NASFAA-Reimaging Financial Aid Summary PDF (16.26 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
This white paper sets forth policy considerations around the following areas: the value of institutional and student "skin in the game”; student loan reform; streamlining and improving consumer information; and rethinking entitlement and professional judgment. NASFAA notes that as we approach reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 2014, student aid programs continue to face severe funding and efficiency problems.
NCAN-Increasing Return on Investment Summary PDF (10.9 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
This white paper contains guiding principles and policy recommendations around making the most of federal aid dollars to ensure they are impacting students with the most need. NCAN underscored the current portrait of a college student, which is far from the traditional, full-time student who matriculates after high school and completes college in four years. Rather, today’s student is often older, taking classes part-time and a first generation college student. The completion problem in higher education was also highlighted, with just 54 percent of students getting their degree in six. To address some of these issues, NCAN established a steering committee which identified three barriers the current federal aid system presents for low-income student: the cost of higher education; complicated processes and out-of-date data that provides students with little relevant information; and insufficient state and institutional support for students aimed at increasing graduation.
New America-Rebalancing Resources Summary PDF (27.52 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
This set of proposals calls for specific changes to grants, loans, tax benefits, college outreach programs and federal regulations to provide more direct aid to the lowest-income students while strengthening accountability for institutions of higher education to ensure that more students are able to earn affordable, high-quality credentials. According to New America, today’s federal financial aid system is no longer up to current standards during a time when access to college is needed more than ever. The paper contends a reformed and streamlined aid system that is more understandable, effective, and fair would better serve students and suggests that policymakers can achieve such reforms at no additional cost to taxpayers by rebalancing existing resources and better aligning incentives for students and institutions of higher education.
TICAS-Aligning the Means and the Ends Summary PDF (24.77 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
Aligning the Means and the Ends: How to Improve Federal Student Aid and Increase College Access and Success advocates for extensive changes to Pell Grants, student loans, and tax benefits in an effort to increase college affordability and completion. According to TICAS, gaps in college enrollment, persistence, and graduation have widened over the past 30 years between children from high- and low-income families. They contend this is partly due to insufficient need-based grant aid; lack of sufficient college-going information; a complex federal aid application process; states and colleges that are not held accountable for student success and changes to financial aid programs that have not consistently prioritized access and success for needy students. In order to address these problems, TICAS provides more than two dozen specific policy recommendations for ensuring college access and supporting student success.
Young Invincibles Summary PDF (17.23 KB)  [ more ] [ hide ]		Administration	2/28/2013
Young Invincibles (YI), a youth advocacy group, unveiled this white paper that features student perspectives on federal financial aid and student loan reform, as well as policy recommendations for Congress that seek to make college more accessible and affordable. YI began the research phase for the paper roughly a year ago and conducted several surveys, roundtables and interviews with current and former students.