Greater educational attainment is associated with an increase in expected income, lowering of internal discount rates, and improved financial and health literacy. Income transfers have the potential to positively impact educational attainment by either reducing the direct cost of college attendance or by an inducing an income effect that nudges…

This Data Point uses data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). HSLS:09 is a national study of more than 23,000 students in ninth grade in 2009. Students answered surveys between 2009 and 2016. College transcripts were collected in 2017-18. This Data Point looks at the connection between views of college affordability in high…

Recent efforts to increase college access and completion concentrate on reducing tuition rates at community colleges, but researchers and policy makers alike have expressed concern that such reductions may not lead to long-term gains in college completion. In this paper, I use detailed data on students' college enrollment and completion outcomes…

In 2013, the Washington Student Achievement Council proposed a statewide goal for educational attainment that called for 70 percent of the state's 25-44 year olds (i.e., early and mid-career residents) to have a postsecondary credential. The goal was adopted by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee. In 2019, the…

This agenda is Kentucky's plan to create a more inclusive, innovative higher education system that serves students of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs. It reaffirms the goal for 60% of Kentucky adults to have a postsecondary credential by the year 2030 and builds on unprecedented gains in degree production over the last decade. It responds to…

This edition of "Playing the Numbers" reports on recent trends in a few key measures related to postsecondary education. Among the trends examined will be key issues of educational attainment, participation, and finance and affordability. Moreover, given the critical role of the states in the delivery of postsecondary education, it will…

This Study Snapshot highlights key findings from a study that examines Oregon's statewide promise program. Representatives from Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission and K-12 state and local education agencies worked with the Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest to conduct this study of Oregon Promise's reach and impact in its…

The "What Were the Reach and Impact of the Oregon Promise Financial Aid Program in Its First Two Years?" study examined Oregon Promise, a program that promotes students' postsecondary attainment by covering nearly all community college tuition. The study used student data from K-12 public schools, Oregon Promise applications, and…

In 2015 Oregon became the second state in the country to implement a statewide promise program. Its program, Oregon Promise, seeks to promote students' postsecondary attainment by covering nearly all community college tuition. This study used student data from K-12 public schools, Oregon Promise applications, and postsecondary records to examine…

In 2019, the Washington Student Achievement Council adopted a Strategic Framework to better understand how state higher education policy contributes to campus and student success. The framework organizes the policy work into four areas deemed essential to achieve the 70 percent goal: (1) Affordability; (2) Enrollment; (3) Completion; and (4)…

This "Economic Insights" article documents the characteristics of families with children under the age of 18 who hold registered education savings plan (RESP) investments. The article also examines the relationship between holding an RESP account at age 15 and postsecondary enrolment between the ages of 19 and 27. The data are drawn from…

"Excelencia" in Education conducted an environmental scan of Puerto Rico to better understand the community and context of higher education, as colleges and universities transform to better serve their Latino students. This environmental scan identifies and includes a profile of the community overall, the socio-economic profile and…

While New England's population remains predominantly non-Hispanic white, the region has diversified considerably in recent years, as most population growth has occurred among minority groups. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 2010 and 2018, New England's non-Hispanic white population shrank by 3.1%. During this same period, the region's…

In 2004 and 2005, the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education (Pell Institute), sponsored by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), published two editions of "Indicators of Opportunity in Higher Education." In 2015, the commitment to documenting trends in higher education equity was renewed by publishing…

This report, the seventh in this series, brings together again in partnership the Pell Institute with the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy of the University of Pennsylvania (PennAHEAD). These reports draw from multiple sources of existing data to provide, in one place, indicators that describe trends in equity in postsecondary…