Responsibility center management (RCM) is a market-based budget model that may benefit certain academic institutions. While there are supporters and opponents of the model, there is a lack of hard evidence about the potential impact of RCM on a variety of institutional variables, hence the need for this study. This study brought together the…

A commonly used metric for measuring college costs, drawn from data in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), is expenditure per full-time equivalent (FTE) student. This article discusses an error in this per FTE calculation when using IPEDS data, especially with regard to community colleges. The problem is that expenditures…

In the 1980s, leaders recognized a small set of institutions enrolled a large percentage of Latino students but had limited resources to educate these students. The classification of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) formally recognized these institutions for capacity-building and other support. Federal law defines HSIs as accredited,…

Using archival records preserved by Iowa's community colleges, private four-year colleges, and public universities, this dissertation examines how Iowa's established higher education institutions responded to and adjusted to the "presence" of new two-year colleges from 1965 to 1975. This decade was a critical period of development for…

Grant aid -- whether based on financial need, merit, or a combination therein -- is the primary form of financial aid awarded by states. States use grant aid to encourage academic preparation, enhance access to postsecondary education, affect students' choice of college, support persistence, and reduce out-of-state migration. State grant aid…

The Pell Grant program helps low- and middle-income students earn degrees and certificates from a wide variety of postsecondary schools, including community colleges, vocational schools, liberal arts colleges, religious colleges, research universities, and many more. However, in order for students to use their Pell Grant, the programs must be…

Objective: International reverse transfer students are international students who begin their postsecondary journey at a four-year institution but subsequently transfer to a community college. In this qualitative study, we examine the lived experiences of international reverse transfers to understand the reasons for reverse-transfer and to…

With tuition revenues replacing state appropriations as the primary source of public university funding, it becomes difficult for universities to use historically based budget allocations and inflexible tuition structures to subsidize high-cost programs. It is argued here that combining targeted subsidies with a flexible tuition structure and…

Traditionally seen as a way for institutions to help students alleviate some of the financial demands placed on them, on-campus student employment has several additional benefits institutions can leverage to assist students along their collegiate journey. If designed and operationalized effectively, institutions can use their on-campus student…

The annual community college tuition and fees report details the tuition and fee charges at each of Iowa's 15 community colleges. It also provides trends in tuition and fees among Iowa's community colleges, sources of general operating revenue, and comparisons among states and institutions. Average in-state tuition for full-time students attending…

Why does tuition increase faster than inflation? And why does tuition continue to increase even when states increase their investments in public colleges and universities? These questions have perplexed policymakers and higher education consumers alike. Though tuition setting can be very complicated, one of the drivers for rising costs is price…

The community college tuition and fees report is prepared each fiscal year. The report includes trends in tuition and fees among Iowa's community colleges, as well as comparisons to other states and to Iowa's public universities. Median total in-state cost of enrollment for a full-time student enrolled in Iowa's community colleges will be $164.50…

The community college tuition and fees report is prepared each fiscal year. The report includes trends in tuition and fees among Iowa's community colleges, as well as comparisons to Iowa's public universities and national comparisons. Average total in-state cost of enrollment for a full-time student enrolled in Iowa's community colleges will be…

The community college tuition and fees report is prepared each fiscal year. The report includes trends in tuition and fees among Iowa's community colleges, as well as comparisons to Iowa's public universities and national comparisons. The average tuition for a full-time student enrolled in Iowa's community colleges will rise $113 to $4,210 in…

In the United States, approximately 65 percent of all jobs in 2020 will require some level of postsecondary education, and the demand will reach 68 percent in Iowa. This report seeks to inform public discourse on higher education by providing key performance indicators relevant to the goal of improving educational attainment for a healthy economy…