Ensuring postsecondary education is affordable for Kentuckians is a top priority of the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) and higher education institutions. Maintaining access to life-changing postsecondary credentials benefits both individuals and the state alike. This inaugural report on undergraduate student debt demonstrates that…

In Kentucky and around the nation, the cost of college attendance has risen steadily over the past two decades, while total undergraduate enrollment has leveled off or declined. Kentucky has taken aggressive measures to limit tuition increases and increase state and institutional aid; nevertheless, increasing college costs may be constricting our…

In response to rising college tuition and student debt over the past three decades, some institutions, localities, and states have implemented a range of tuition-free promise programs to promote college access and success. Programs vary widely in their design features, including eligibility stipulations and award structure. I explore the growing…

College tuition and fee rates have risen dramatically over the last twenty years. Grant aid dollars, however, have increased at a slower rate, especially at public four-year institutions, which were twice as expensive in AY2018-19 compared to AY1998-1999 (Ma, Baum, Pender & Libassi, 2018). How do students pay for college when grant aid is not…

Generally, need-based financial aid improves students' academic outcomes (Nguyen, Kramer & Evans, 2019). However, the largest source of need-based grant aid in the United States, the Federal Pell Grant Program (Pell), has a mixed evaluation record (Bettinger, 2004; Rubin, 2011; Marx & Turner, 2018; Park & Scott-Clayton, 2018;…

This agenda is Kentucky's plan to create a more inclusive, innovative higher education system that serves students of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs. It reaffirms the goal for 60% of Kentucky adults to have a postsecondary credential by the year 2030 and builds on unprecedented gains in degree production over the last decade. It responds to…

Every year millions of Americans gain valuable college credit-worthy learning through workplace training, the military, apprenticeships, & professional certifications. Nearly all of this learning goes unrecognized by colleges & universities. Without a consistent way to recognize, reward, and transfer this learning, many people are left…

Trellis' Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) seeks to document the financial well-being of post-secondary students and provide institutions with a detailed profile of the financial issues their students face, some of which could potentially impact their success in college. This report details aggregated findings for the 89 colleges and…