Authored by Dr. Wendy Kilgore and Dr. James Dean Ward, this report delves into the impacts and institutional responses to federal regulations limiting transcript holds for students with unpaid balances. This comprehensive analysis is essential reading for anyone involved in higher education administration. Based on a survey of 326 institutions,…

This report, authored by Dr. Wendy Kilgore, Senior Director of Research at AACRAO, and Dr. James Ward, Principal at Ithaka S+R, provides insights into the impact of state-level transcript hold regulations on higher education institutions and learners. Key findings from the report include: (1) 97% of institutions changed practices or policies after…

The population of adult learners with Some College, No Credential (SCNC) has risen over the years to over 40 million individuals. A smaller subset of this population has debt that they owe their institutions directly in addition to state, federal, or private loans. As of 2020, approximately 6.6 million students owed more than $15 billion in…

Although postgraduate expansion swiftly followed the massification of undergraduate provision, with classed inequalities in access, postgraduate taught (PGT) education has rarely received the same level of scholarly attention as the critical mass of undergraduate research. To address this partial research lacuna, the paper traces 41 biographical…

Student loan debt in the United States is $1.6 trillion and rising. The public debate concerning the human capital value vs. the social capital value of higher education has been shifting toward the former and away from the latter standpoint in recent years. I observe how the current system of Federal student loans is proving inadequate for a…

Over the past two decades, educational debt has quickly transformed US colleges and universities into spaces of cruel optimism: the higher education that students desire is all too often an obstacle to their flourishing. This study maps the contours of the white, middle-class attachment to the college dream, paying particular attention to the…

Latino students are entering college at record numbers. Today, almost 3.8 million Latinos are enrolled in colleges and universities across the United States. Yet Latino students lag behind their White and Asian peers in attaining college degrees. The overall completion gap exceeds ten percentage points. What is causing this completion gap?…

A growing number of families around the world are relying on student loans to pay for university under recent cost-sharing policies. However, it remains unclear to what extent university costs and the likelihood of needing student loans affect decisions in the early stages of education. This article examines the influence of parents' attitudes…

The purpose of this paper is to critically explore factors affecting Native Hawaiian college-going to reconceptualize and improve early college programs serving Native Hawaiians. Survey and focus group data from an internal evaluation of early college summer programs at the University of Hawai'i--West O'ahu (UHWO) provide insight into Native…

The last comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) occurred in 2008, and the law has been overdue for another reauthorization for nearly a decade. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) has worked on reauthorization for nearly a decade. In this report, NASFAA updates its recommendations to…

Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill teamed up with UnidosUS to explore whether and how debt-driven higher education system makes it difficult for students to finish a college program or degree. Recognizing the increased national attention to equity in higher education and the dearth of data focused on Latino students, the…

Earning a college degree has long been critical to unlocking many high-paying jobs -- and, as a result, to economic mobility and security. Increasingly, however, the traditional "norm" of a college student--one who enrolls straight out of high school, receives some support from their parents, lives on campus, and does not have…

Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) conducted original research on an often-overlooked group of students--parents with children--as they struggle to make ends meet while pursuing academic degrees and certificates. Student parents often face enormous financial barriers to academic success. They report high financial insecurity including…

Adult learners are enrolling in U.S. higher education at a growing pace. These students have obligations and needs that influence their preferences for programs of study, scheduling, and specific support systems. This article recommends a number of research-based institutional practices relevant to the welfare of adult student learners.

Concerns about college costs and affordability are widespread, but who is impacted and what does that impact look like in California? Twenty-two higher education and financial aid experts with a broad array of experiences and viewpoints were asked these questions to understand more about college affordability and the policymaking landscape in…