student financial aid

College is expensive and about two-thirds of all students who continue their education past high school receive some type of financial aid. This year, the U.S. Department of Education will spend about $116 billion on student financial aid.

The investment reflects how important college degrees are to the economy, the labor pool and the standard of living in the U.S. 

But does student financial aid work? What is the taxpayers' return on the investment?