June 30, 2008 by Mara Strom Last week, we spotlighted the views of Barack Obama, the (presumed) Democratic nominee, on higher education and financial aid. I promised you then that I wasn’t being partisan — and that we’d look this week at what the Republican nominee John McCain has to say about funding your college education. Well, I’m keeping my promise, but in all honesty, there isn’t *that* much to say. On Scholarships For Veterans We know that McCain doesn’t like the Democrat’s proposal to give veterans a free-ride to college. But McCain’s criticism of the bill isn’t a knock on full scholarships to veterans (per se) as much as it is a critique of the bill’s terms: McCain says to give these benefits after only three years (as th...

May 28, 2008 by Mara Strom If you’re a community college student applying for financial aid, then know this: You’re in exceedingly good company. The number of your fellow students in need of aid has skyrocketed over the last five years, according to Robert Shireman, president of EconomicDiversity.org: “As costs like housing and textbooks continue to rise along with tuition and fees, financial aid is becoming a necessity for more community college students.” Shireman’s organization reports that in 2000-2001, just over one-quarter of all community college coeds completed a FAFSA; in 2005-2006, that number jumped to 34%. While the percentage of students applying for aid from two-year colleges is lower than at public four-year (59%) and private four-year (66%) sch...