The rising cost of higher education has led to increased tuition costs for students and their families, forcing more students to secure larger amounts of debt to finance their educational pursuits. Although scholars have explored how student loan debt accumulation influences higher education persistence and graduation, an unexplored area of higher…

Evidence shows that what students study matters as much as, if not more than, where they study. Program-level measures can provide important data on student outcomes, which will allow policymakers to hold institutions and programs that receive federal funding accountable. This fact sheet highlights some of the most frequently discussed measures…

With the cost of student debt surpassing credit card debt, those students who default on their student loans are not only affected but the colleges and universities they attended are affected as well. The purpose of this study is to compare default rates before and after the amendment to the Higher Education Act of 2008. This study will identify…

This brief reviews the details of major proposals from policy makers and policy organizations to streamline and reform income-driven repayment of federal student loans. The brief identifies encouraging consensus on a number of important details, as well as some areas of remaining divergence.

In fiscal year 2018, nearly 13 million students and their families received over $122 billion in federal assistance to help them pursue higher education through programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. the Department of Education (Education) administers these programs, and is responsible, along with…

This qualitative study explores the perceptions of value added to the lives of graduates who borrowed money to fund their college educations. Through the lens of cognitive dissonance theory, five themes emerged. Overall, the study participants agreed that the ability to take on student loans to fund their education was worth it, but on the other…

The cost of post-secondary education (PE) continues to increase, which has contributed to elevating federal loan demand, and as of the fourth quarter of 2020, equaling a debt of $1.56 trillion in the US. The purpose of this research was to compare two post-secondary institutions for specific alignment with the local labor market, examine…

The federal student aid system has emerged as the primary source of funding for students pursuing a wide range of subbaccalaureate credentials. But the eligibility rules for federal student aid, offered under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, require a minimum program length of 600 hours for Pell grants, despite little evidence showing that…

What do state policies say about how to fund postsecondary education? This 50-State Comparison answers this question by searching state statutes, state rules and regulations, enacted state budget bills, and state postsecondary education agency policies that address postsecondary education budgeting and funding. According to the content of the…

A result of the last recession was the closure or merging of many higher education institutions (HEIs) throughout the New England region. In October 2019, the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) in convened a group of economists and higher education leaders at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to talk about "The Future of Higher…

To provide greater understanding, Trellis Research recently conducted a mixed-methods, outcomes-based study of parent PLUS borrowers in Texas. The study, "PLUS Borrowing in Texas: Repayment Expectations, Experience, and Hindsight by Minority-Serving Institution Status," provides a rare look into the repayment behavior of Parent PLUS…

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment, Committee on Education and Labor that was held to discuss how chronically underfunding public education is affecting students, parents, teachers, and communities. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Susan A. Davis,…

Public Law 105-244 of the 1998 Higher Education Act Amendments established that proprietary institutions must derive at least 90% (the "90/10 rule") of their revenue from sources other than federal student aid (Title IV funding). Schools that violate the 90/10 rule for 2 consecutive years lose access to Title IV funding (U.S. Department…

With the total student debt in the United States at nearly $1.5 trillion, loans are affecting the lives of many students. But while higher education pays off for the average graduate, the student loan data illustrates a unique and severe situation for Black students that has reached crisis level, even if the same isn't true for other racial and…

For many in the United States, debt is the price of upward mobility. An increasing number of jobs require some college, and wages are higher for people with college degrees. As states cut funding for higher education, colleges have passed the costs on to students. Nationally, 44.2 million people -- one sixth of the population -- hold a total of…