In England, part-time students have to pay their fees up-front, they can't take out a government-supported loan, and their chances of securing any financial support are depressingly slim. While all full-time students are entitled to some state support, Parliamentary questions have revealed that nine out of 10 part-time students receive nothing at…

As the global marketplace becomes increasingly competitive and knowledge-driven the potential social and economic benefits of education have increased. As a result, the past few decades have witnessed an unprecedented expansion in the demand for post-secondary education (PSE) worldwide. The Canadian Council on Learning monograph series,…

The link between the funding of higher education and the attainment of higher education transformation goals in South Africa, especially access by students from previously under-represented communities, is the main focus of this paper. Specifically, the paper examines three questions: (a) How does public funding of higher education encourage (or…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) significantly increases federal tax credits for people who pay for college education. For many families, these tax credits will offset most of the recent fee increases at University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), and the community colleges. Some students will likely be…

Among all the uncertainty colleges face in this recession, they are sure of one thing: Families are feeling less than confident about their ability to pay for higher education. In response, colleges are creating more student-aid programs or expanding existing ones. Others are offering students additional counseling or a grace period for paying…

Echoing the words and thoughts of Thomas Jefferson, California's state constitution embraces the noblest of principles in its vision for public higher education. Over the decades, California public higher education has dominated policy discussions as a model of access and excellence and a powerful engine of economic growth. Indeed, it would be…

The Advisory Committee was created by Congress in the "Higher Education Amendments of 1986" to be an independent and nonpartisan source of knowledge, advice, and counsel to Congress and the Secretary of Education on federal, state, and institutional postsecondary student assistance. One of the most important analytical directives in the…

This document addresses the status of equality in access to higher education. Some of the motivating factors behind this presentation include: (1) College completion rates including rates of bachelor's degree completion are falling today, particularly among young Americans; (2) Reversing the current trend and increasing college completion has…

The 2009 Public Policy Agenda summarizes the American Association of State Colleges and Universities' (AASCU's) principles and priorities in key areas of higher education policy. The document is intended to serve as a point of reference for the association's members and other interested organizations as well as federal and state policymakers.…

This report measures Illinois' educational performance from early childhood through postsecondary education. It tracks how students have performed during the past decade and how that performance compares with students in other states. The state knows that improvement does not happen overnight. By tracking what happens to students over time,…

The Tennessee Higher Education Commission is statutorily charged to develop a statewide master plan for the future development of public higher education. In response to this, the Master Plan, "Creating Partnerships for a Better Tennessee," was developed for 2005-2010. The Master Plan is a collaborative effort with the Tennessee Board of…

We critique the "college for all" discourse by unveiling its relationship to the politics of education, the broader economic and political contexts, and the class and race structures embedded in society and schooling, including higher education. We analyze the current and future labor markets to demonstrate the ways that the "college for all"…

Half of college students drop out without completing a degree. This paper establishes a causal link between college costs and degree completion. I use quasi-experimental methodology to analyze two state scholarship programs. The programs increase the share of the exposed population with a college degree by three percentage points, with stronger…

Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), originally chartered under the federal Assets for Independence (AFI) Act in 1998, may provide an opportunity for increasing access to postsecondary education for low-income youth and adults by providing funds through a mix of their own savings and federal and private funds. However, many IDA savers and IDA…

The requirements for a model that could allow higher education to expand rapidly in the developing world are that it be readily scalable (wide access), academically credible (high quality) and affordable (low cost). This could be achieved by building higher education networks around credible examination systems run by national or independent…