It would be interesting to hear from more US socially-oriented sources re furthering education for the poor yet worthy youth of your nation and how other Nations tackle the problem....
It maybe useful too, to cast a glance at the different solutions various countries use....

I just noticed :
oops- not Tax-gree but Tax-Free
Sorry... but the two fingers I use occasionally get dizzy and miss the aim....

....great information, suzikoh

In Australia, we don't do enough to help students trapped by socio economic situ. There is a system that creates debts, but repayment doesn't start until income reaches a certain level. ( They haven't worked out that women actually gain from this as, with stoppages for kids and the other hurdles they face, many are unable to reach the wage level.)
I read that some of the colleges with embarrassing amounts of loot, have started accepting some students on ability for free. Lifts the overall results and is a nice token , or maybe it is the start of something good.

Thanks for the info, tabsey !
Here in Italy, there are a few scholarships to help the first year students to pay off their fees... then if they do well in the following years they get bonuses... but parents still have difficulty supporting their kids through Uni....especially if they're living away from home.....