The Hidden Architecture of College Financial Aid

Rethinking college financial aid through the lens of race, equity, and public policy. For millions of students, financial aid is meant to make college possible. Yet for many low-income students and students of color, obtaining that aid can become an obstacle course of confusing requirements, administrative hurdles, and policies that delay or deny the support they need. In The Hidden Architecture of College Financial Aid, Devon L. Graves challenges the widely held assumption that the financial aid system is race-neutral. Through a critical examination of the history of federal financial aid, policy analysis, archival research, and students' lived experiences, Graves argues that many of the inequities embedded in today's aid process are the result of longstanding policy choices rather than unintended consequences. He follows students through every stage of the financial aid process-from completing the FAFSA and navigating income verification to maintaining eligibility and receiving aid-revealing how these systems disproportionately burden students of color while reinforcing broader patterns of inequality. The Hidden Architecture of College Financial Aid offers a vision for a more equitable future. With practical recommendations for policymakers, higher education leaders, financial aid professionals, and institutional researchers, Graves demonstrates how colleges and governments can redesign financial aid systems to better serve the students they were created to support.