Beyond Financial Aid How colleges can strengthen the financial stability of low-income students and improve student outcomes

Abstract

Beyond Financial Aid (BFA) is a toolkit designed to help two- and four-year institutions close attainment gaps for low-income students. BFA expands the concept of “financial supports” for college beyond grants, scholarships and loans and describes six college-tested strategies for helping low-income students overcome the significant challenges created by limited resources. BFA features a self-assessment that college teams can use to analyze their service capacities and an interpretation guide to help map out their first steps toward strengthening these capacities.