For decades, college tuition costs have been skyrocketing, yet state financial aid has failed to meet the increasing economic needs of college students -- leaving many young people with the choice of bridging the financial gap by taking out student loans or not attending college at all. This pressing issue of rising college tuition is not just a…

This paper explores the effects of community college tuition reductions on student enrollment decisions and graduation probabilities. The study leverages changes in community college taxing districts in Texas. The paper examines five community colleges who annexed municipalities into their taxing districts from 1994 to 2012. The study uses a…

Colleges and universities frequently find that students cite financial pressures as a significant obstacle in their progress toward college completion. This can particularly be a challenge for first-time-in-college (FTIC) students, students from traditionally underserved populations, and students of color. To help address this issue, many…

Existing state policies to support the costs of apprentices' classroom training at colleges are a patchwork. Some states have implemented effective subsidies to support credit-bearing apprenticeship offerings without any cost to the apprentice; other policies are well-intentioned but counterproductive. Across the country, though, many states…

College plays a critical role in providing opportunities for economic mobility, yet degree attainment by race is inequitable. Currently, more than half of young white adults hold at least a two-year college degree, compared to 37 percent of Black young adults. Less than a third of Hispanic, American Indian, and Hawaiian or Pacific Islander young…

States invest heavily in education, providing funding either directly or in the form of financial aid from preschool through college, with positive outcomes from those impacting nearly every other area of public policy, particularly the workforce. To understand and assess results, states collect and analyze information about these investments at…

While college costs have risen significantly in the past few decades, some of those cost increases can be partially mitigated by financial aid for low-income families. But many low- and moderate-income families vastly overestimate the cost of college, leading them to assume that enrolling their children in college, particularly a four-year school,…

Texas's higher education plan, 60x30TX, calls for undergraduate student loan debt to not exceed 60 percent of first-year wages for graduates of Texas public institutions by 2030 (earning a certificate, associate's, or bachelor's). The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) calculates the total undergraduate debt of a graduate as all…

Legislation introduced in 2015, including Senate Bill 806, sought to amend the "Code of Virginia" regarding fixed four-year tuition and other costs. Eventually, Senate Bill 1183 was incorporated into Senate Bill 806; the substitute amendment directed the board of visitors of each four-year public institution with an in-state…

The Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation (TG) offers critical support to schools, students, and borrowers at every stage of the federal student aid process--from providing information on how to pay for a higher education, including financial aid options, to facilitating successful loan repayment after graduation. As part of that support, this…

The majority of Southern states performed below the national average and the average of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries in terms of the percent of young adults in 2015 who attained an associate degree or higher. This regional profile presents a synthesis of trends in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)…

In the 2013 Tomás Rivera lecture, Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas system, discusses how a major shift in the demographics of the United States is having a profound effect on K-12 and higher education.

Many states are experimenting with mechanisms for making college more affordable while maintaining quality and access. This report examines promising or innovative state programs to improve college affordability and credential attainment. Many of these approaches show innovative thinking and bear watching to see if they result in meaningful…

At a time of sustained unemployment and sluggish job growth, students and policymakers are increasingly asking tough questions about postsecondary education and training outcomes. Do graduates find jobs? What are they paid? What will they earn in the future? Despite growing national interest in this information, good answers are not widely…

National and regional trends mask important variation among states in the supply of high school graduates. This profile provides brief indicators for Texas related to: current levels of educational attainment, projections of high school graduates into the future, and two common barriers to student access and success--insufficient academic…