Information—or lack of it—was the single most frequently expressed problem. Almost without exception students felt that they were not aware of the possible financial aid programs available to them. Students had no means of planning because they had no information on eligibility rules (College Scholarship Service Advisory Committee 1976, 1).
That statement was one of the conclusions of a report summarizing congressional hearings that were held regarding financial aid almost forty years ago. In the intervening period, not much has changed (Long 2004).
