Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > FY2003 White Paper on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology >Part1 Chapter4 Section2.1

Higher education in the US began to expand ahead of other countries against a backdrop that included economic development after World War II. In particular, the establishment of new universities and expansion of the scale of existing universities advanced from the 1960s, and at the beginning of the 1980s, the rate of American students continuing to higher education, including part-time students, * exceeded 60 percent. This level has been maintained to the present.

One of the factors supporting this high rate of advancement is the enhancement of student aid, mainly that from the federal government. Over 50 percent of university departments and students are receiving some sort of student aid. However, even with this well-developed system of student aid, there are still people who find it difficult to continue their education due to their financial situations. For this reason, former President Bill Clinton adopted an open admission for applicants to institutions of higher education for at least two years as one of the goals of his second term in office (1997-2000), and further expanded student aid through measures such as the HOPE Scholarship, which offers households with students in the first two years of college a tax credit equal to the amount of tuition up to $1,500. These federal government measures were still in place under the current administration of George W. Bush as of October 2003.

Along with expansion, the types of study have diversified. The number of adult students with jobs has increased thanks to part-time study and evening courses. Part-time students now account for 40 percent of all students, as do students aged 25 or older. The relative ease of transfer is also increasing educational opportunities for adults. Moreover, recently, "on-line colleges" utilizing the Internet have proliferated. As of 2000, over half of all US universities made some or all of their courses available over the Internet. Universities without campuses that offer all of their courses over the Internet have appeared, and are further expanding learning opportunities for people.