Family Knowledge of Postsecondary Costs And Financial Aid

Federal policymakers have recently expressed interest in family knowledge of student financial aid and postsecondary costs and the impact of family knowledge on student access. Analyzing a longitudinal data set of Indiana high school students, this study looks at student and parental knowledge of student financial aid and postsecondary costs. The results suggest that parents are more interested than students in information about postsecondary costs and student financial aid. Furthermore, the findings indicate that efforts to increase family knowledge should simultaneously focus on general information about aid and costs rather than on details about specific aid programs. This article was presented at the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Student Financial Aid Research Network Conference, Washington, D. C., May 16, 1990