Policymakers and the public are increasingly concerned about the payoff students and taxpayers receive from government subsidies for postsecondary education. This concern has led advocates and policymakers to call for stronger quality assurance policies for colleges and universities. Past efforts to enact quality assurance policies have focused on…

Higher education offers the skills prized by employers in an increasingly global marketplace, and puts graduates on a path to higher wages over a lifetime of work. But for far too many Americans, it comes at the price of student loans that can saddle them with debt just as they are launching their careers and stunt their financial wellbeing for…

Student funding remains hotly contested. In this HEPI Debate Paper, Alan Roff examines the findings of the Office for Budget Responsibility, which regards the past treatment of student loans in the national accounts as a 'fiscal illusion'. Roff explores the consequences of this change of heart and pushes for an alternative approach to student…

The skyrocketing cost of college has forced more students to borrow money to obtain a degree. Women take on greater debt than men to start, but when women graduate, loan payments collide with the gender pay gap. The compounding effect puts a tight squeeze on women's budgets. This growing crisis requires two responses: helping those who have…

This paper examines indicators related to earnings and student loan debt for evaluating return on investment (ROI) for postsecondary education. It first considers four different options for measuring earnings, arguing that measures of postsecondary value should include investment-to-earnings and earnings growth metrics. The paper then discusses…

The "60x30TX" higher education plan for Texas began in 2015 with four goals to be achieved by 2030: (1) 60x30 Educated Population: At least 60% of Texans ages 25-34 will have a certificate or degree; (2) Completion: At least 550,000 students in 2030 will complete a certificate or an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree from an…

As of March 2019, 43 million Americans held student loans provided through federal government programs, the largest segment of the education loan market. But this system is under pressure as more borrowers struggle to repay, a problem compounded by the complexity of the repayment process. Research on the pathways borrowers take through the…

Today, costs loom large in public discussions about the problems in higher education. That's no wonder. Tuition at four-year private colleges has grown at an average annual rate of 2.3% above inflation over the past 10 years. Four-year public and two-year institutions have seen similar trends, with tuition growing at an annual rate of 3.1% and…

This report and the accompanying interactive web tool are a first step toward helping students sort through the 37,000 programs in the College Scorecard data to learn which programs offer a pathway to good earnings and which threaten more debt. Part 1 examines earnings differences across different institutions. Just as there is overlap in…

Differences by race and ethnicity exist in student borrowing trends, as decades of research and statistics on debt, repayment, and default rates have well established. Students who are Black, Hispanic or Latino, and Native American tend to have higher unmet financial need, incur more debt, and struggle financially to stay in school. Yet, even as…

Nearly 43 million college student borrowers across the United States owe more than $1.56 trillion in outstanding federal student loans. The number of student borrowers in the country has increased by 1.3 million, or 3.1 percent, over the past five years, while the amount of outstanding student debt in the country has increased by a whopping $…

The English tuition fee system is designed to be progressive and to ensure that higher education is well funded. As the Government considers how it could be improved, many former detractors are recognising we could do far worse and fear change. This paper proposes a solution comprising three interdependent policy changes without a significant…

Student loans can help fill cost gaps created by insufficient grants, scholarships, and family income in funding a postsecondary education. Whereas receipt of grant aid does not require repayment, student loans must be repaid with interest. Loans provide students with additional choices, such as living independently (instead of living with parents…

Differences by race and ethnicity exist in student borrowing trends. Statistics about debt loads, repayment trends, default rates, and forgiveness opportunities routinely appear in research papers, policy briefs, talking points, and news reports. But real progress over time depends on setting up the right conversation and narrative. So far, too…

The "60x30TX" higher education plan for Texas began in 2015 with four goals to be achieved by 2030: (1) 60x30 Educated Population: At least 60% of Texans ages 25-34 will have a certificate or degree; (2) Completion: At least 550,000 students in 2030 will complete a certificate or an associate, bachelor's, or master's degree from an…