Student financial aid

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Student financial aid (or student financial support, or student aid) is financial support given to individuals who are furthering their education. Student financial aid can come in a number of forms, including scholarships, grants, student loans, and work study programs. Each of these methods of providing financial support to students has its advantages and drawbacks.

Many countries have some kind of financial aid program for their students. [1] In countries that provide education to all at nominal cost, financial aid may have only a tertiary link to educational status, instead tied to the economic conditions of the family, and financial support for students is primarily indirect. In Belgium, for example, "[t]here is no system of student loans and direct support is only given in the form of means-tested grants to students from low-income families", which constitutes a very limited proportion of students. [2]

Specific examples

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A repayment plan is a structured repaying of funds that have been loaned to an individual, business or government over either a standard or extended period of time, typically alongside a payment of interest. Repayment plans are prominent within the financial industry of a national economy where liquid funds are in high demand to assist in investment opportunities, governmental expenditure or personal finance. The term first saw prominence with its use by the International Monetary Fund to describe its form of financial loan repayment from individual nations. Typically, the term "repayment plan" refers to the system of Federal Student Aid in the United States of America, which assists in covering tertiary education expenses of domestic students.

Financial issues facing students in the United States include the rising cost of tuition, as well as ancillaries, such as room and board, textbook and coursework costs, personal expenses, and transportation.

References

  1. EURYDICE, Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe: Funding and the Social Dimension (2011), p. 50-57.
  2. OECD, OECD Economic Surveys: Belgium 2007 (2007), p. 97.