In a year that has upended higher education and created great uncertainty, it is more important than ever for students to understand which colleges payoff and how quickly. In April of 2020, Third Way released a report outlining the use of a Price-to-Earnings Premium (PEP) to evaluate the value of attending college and help students assess and…

The Academic Supply and Occupational Demand report highlights the connections between degrees that are being produced in Tennessee and the jobs that are available in the state. This report is divided into four sections: (1) Expected Degrees presents projections of postsecondary credentials to be awarded by public, private, and proprietary…

Among all students who enrolled in college for the first time in fall 2017, 73.8 percent persisted at any U.S. institution in fall 2018, while 61.7 percent were retained at their starting institution. This brief report presents the following statistics on first-year persistence and retention for the Fall 2017 Cohort: (1) First-Year Persistence and…

At $14 billion, the investment in operating support for higher education institutions from the coronavirus relief bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, is the largest one-year federal infusion of funds going straight to colleges since the Great Recession. Yet it's nowhere close to enough. Many states have already…

Guided by the frameworks of college-conocimiento and the cooling out function, this study examined the college choice process of Latina/o/x students who attended an under-resourced urban high school. Data for this study consisted of interviews with ten institutional agents, two oral history interviews with 34 Latina/o/x students, and observation…

This report is the result of collaboration between the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Using data from academic years 2006 through 2016, THEC projected degree production for public, private, and proprietary institutions in Tennessee through 2025 (i.e., academic…

The proposed College Affordability Act calls for a massive uptick in federal spending on higher education and increased access to federal student aid (which has been shown to inflate tuition), while easing the criteria for federal loan forgiveness, leaving the bill to American taxpayers. Americans need solutions that will drive down the price of…

In the classic game of "Chutes and Ladders," the player can see square 100--the finish line--but it is not easy to get there. The player may climb one ladder only to land on the wrong spot and be sent spiraling down a chute. In the game, players are aiming for the blue ribbon on square 100, but for students enrolling in college, the…

The California Community Colleges (CCC) are central to the economic strength and social mobility of California and its residents. They serve the majority of undergraduates in California. Each year, over 2 million students attend one of the 116 community colleges across the state, including the online campus--Cal Bright. Like "Chutes and…

High school counselors generally feel prepared to advise students about community colleges and believe these institutions offer relatively easy application and enrollment processes. However, results of a national survey conducted by NACAC showed that many counselors feel less knowledgeable about transfer policies at area four-year colleges and…

Because of increasing mobility among various college student populations, both the baccalaureate degree attainment of community college beginners and the role played by their receiving 4-year institution are growing in importance. In this study, we examined how the academic and social involvement of community college transfer students differs by…

This report presents enrollment data for West Virginia Higher Education. The following topics of data are presented: (1) National Enrollment Trends; (2) West Virginia High School Graduate Projections; (3) College-Going Rate; (4) Student Persistence and Completion; (5) Credit Headcount Enrollment; (6) Fall 2021 Headcount Enrollment Shifts; (7)…

This study examined if and to what extent selected institutional services and special learning and credit opportunities in the 2-year private, for-profit college sector and community colleges in the United States are related to race, socioeconomic status and urbanicity. The researcher evaluated whether the institutional services and special…

This report is the result of collaboration between the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD). Using data from academic year (AY) 2006 through AY 2016, this report presents projections of awards to be produced by public, private, and proprietary institutions in Tennessee…

This report presents enrollment data for West Virginia Higher Education. The following topics of data are presented: (1) National Enrollment Trends; (2) West Virginia High School Graduate Projections; (3) College-Going Rate; (4) Student Persistence and Completion; (5) Credit Headcount Enrollment; (6) Fall 2020 Headcount Enrollment Shifts; (7)…