Chapter 1 is The Effect of Honors College Participation on Student Outcomes. Honors education refers to programs for high achieving students at U.S. post-secondary institutions. These programs provide high achieving students benefits such as the ability to enroll in exclusive courses with small class sizes, to live in special dorms, and to enroll…

This dissertation investigates the complex connections among loan debt burden, student experiences, and post-bachelor's outcomes, situated within the framework of systemic disparities in educational funding and opportunities. It identifies declines in state funding across educational levels as a systemic and politicized issue, disproportionately…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, focusing on strengthening accountability to protect students and taxpayers. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Lamar Alexander, Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and (2) Honorable…

This paper examines the feasibility of an income-contingent loan system to finance tertiary education in Indonesia. Using graduates' income data from the 2015 National Labor Force Survey, we modeled the life-cycle income distribution of university graduates using unconditional quantile regression. We used these estimates to simulate different…

Government backed income contingent student loans are an increasingly being used to fund higher education. An income contingent repayment plan acts as an incremental marginal tax on labor earnings, which could cause individuals to distort their work effort. This paper uses an administrative dataset from the UK that links student loan borrowers…

Finding funds to build and renovate facilities is a major hurdle for public charter schools because most state laws do not provide charter schools with the full amount of state and local funding that other public schools receive. Although an increasing number of states are passing laws to address charter school facility funding gaps, inequities…

This brief reviews the details of major proposals from policy makers and policy organizations to streamline and reform income-driven repayment of federal student loans. The brief identifies encouraging consensus on a number of important details, as well as some areas of remaining divergence.

This document records testimony from a hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education that was held to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the future of higher education. Member statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Susan A. Davis, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment;…

In December 2019, Congress enacted and the President signed the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act (FUTURE Act; P.L. 116-91). The law The law amends the Higher Education Act (HEA) to permanently authorize mandatory funding for grant programs to support HBCUs and MSIs. Authorization for this funding had expired…

Today, institutions of higher education may charge whatever they wish for the education they provide, and the government provides the capital for student's tuition through loans without institutions bearing any meaningful risk if students do not repay. Naturally, this drives up costs and borrowing. On top of tuition and fees, students can borrow…

This document includes the "FY 2023 Annual Performance Report" (APR) and "FY 2025 Annual Performance Plan" (APP). The APR provides narrative and data on the Department of Education's (Department's) progress toward the strategic goals and objectives outlined in its "Fiscal Years [FYs] 2022-2026 Strategic Plan"…

This qualitative study explores the perceptions of value added to the lives of graduates who borrowed money to fund their college educations. Through the lens of cognitive dissonance theory, five themes emerged. Overall, the study participants agreed that the ability to take on student loans to fund their education was worth it, but on the other…

In an era of escalating higher education costs, students and families need to be aware of all of their options for financing college and how those financing options work. Financing remains one the top factors for choosing a college, especially for students with greater financial need. Those who do not receive the award packages and financial…

Is the end in sight for college tuition hikes? Tuition and fees at public colleges and universities consistently have risen twice or even three times as fast as comparable increases in the Consumer Price Index in recent years. Since 2000 these costs have even grown 60 percent faster than health care costs. The results have been rapidly rising…

As our country is on the brink of a new presidential administration and new Congress, amid a global pandemic, the importance of investing in and strengthening our nation's postsecondary education system has never been more important. Concerns over college access, affordability, and transparency are colliding with the growing demand in the…