Harvard students receiving financial aid in the next decade may see marked changes in the way it is delivered, thanks to a new provost, new federal legislation and the upcoming Harvard capital campaign.

Provost Jerry R. Green has taken the lead on the issue, convening four working groups over the summer to look at different aspects of financial aid.

Green, an economist and the University administrator charged with fostering cooperation between Harvard's separate faculties, said recently that he has been looking at the problem with an eye toward "using the fact that we are one University to capture some economics."

The results of a new look at financial aid by Harvard and the nation are still unclear. But some ideas and trends being debated among Harvard administrators appear likely to be implemented in some form that would directly affect students. They include:

. Linking individual student loan repayment plans to post-graduation incomes

. Using Harvard's financial might to lower interest rates on student loans

. Decreasing the amount of debt students accumulate by raising more money for grants during the capital campaign

. Instituting more sophisticated means testing for financial aid applicants

. Increasing interfaculty cooperation on financial aid.

Nearly everyone agrees that the financial aid picture is changing. "For better or worse, it's a dynamic environment," said James S. Miller, director of financial aid for Harvard and Radcliffe colleges.

President Neil L. Rudenstine said in a recent interview that Harvard wants to help "analytically" as the nation examines the issue.

"I think it really is time to step back and give a really through rethinking to the way we finance college education," he said.

There's plenty of financial incentive for Harvard to examine this issue carefully. Financial aid is costly, and according to Rudenstine, will be at the top of the priority list in the upcoming University capital campaign. In addition to simply raising money, Harvard will look for ways to spend it more fairly and efficiently.

To be sure, plenty of national attention has been given recently to fi- nancing higher education. President elect BillClinton has put forth a plan where students canwork off their college loan debts by participatingin a domestic public service program, or pay offtheir debts based on a percentage of their annualincome.

And the federal Higher EducationReauthorization Act, which President Bush signedinto law over the summer, includes several newprovisions for financial aid.

Income-Related Programs