One purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the variables of unmet financial need, types of financial aid, the amount of the student's family income and academic achievement. Another purpose was to determine if relationships exist between the amount of financial aid awarded to the student, his SAT scores, the differences in his GPA between the freshman and sophomore years and the amount of his family income. The unique aspect of the present study is found in its effort to examine such characteristics of financial aid as unmet financial need and improved academic achievement. While none of the earlier research cited here dealt with these variables, it is also noted that few investigations of the relationships between financial aid and academic achievement were conducted at small private 4-year colleges. The majority of the populations which were studied were in large universities and community colleges
