This qualitative study fills a gap in our understanding of how students who attend for-profit institutions make sense of their education choices, their understanding of themselves as students, and the meaning of post-secondary education in the context of their diverse life experiences. The narratives of students who have attended for-profit…

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 year's report incorporates several meaningful changes from prior years' reports. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) and Tennessee Department of Labor and…

This paper addresses the rise and consequences of an emerging global education industry (GEI), which represents new forms of private, for profit involvement in education across the globe. The paper explores the emergence within the GEI of new and varied, largely transnational, markets in education by focusing on three examples of the GEI at work.…

Low completion rates for doctorates presents a problem for higher education in the United States. Successful completion is essential and maintaining a pool of doctorates guarantees a sufficient number of educators and researchers. The purpose of this paper was twofold: to determine the number of doctoral degrees awarded during the 2012-2013…

This report is the fourth in a series examining the troubled history of for-profit higher education, from the problems that plagued the post-World War II GI Bill to the reform efforts undertaken by the George H. W. Bush administration. The abuses by trade schools and the resulting student loan defaults that plagued the industry during the Reagan…

After a tumultuous reception, the Biden administration's regulations for the federal Charter Schools Program (CSP) were finalized in July. Although the Administration backpedaled partway on issues related to community demand and racial integration, its final rules cracked down on so-called "for-profit charters," in line with the…

As the ninth in the "Completing College" series, the report presents the latest information on the six-year completion outcomes of the fall 2014 cohort of beginning college students, nationally and by state, and the eight-year completion outcomes of the fall 2012 cohort of beginning students, through June 2020. The national completion…

About 30 percent of California's future jobs will require some training beyond high school but less than a four-year college degree. And in today's economy, jobs that offer family-supporting incomes often require some postsecondary education. Career education prepares students for these "middle-skill" jobs by providing occupation- and…

We draw on population-level administrative data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service to quantify the impact of for-profit college attendance on the employment and earnings of over one million students. Using a matched comparison group difference-in-differences design, we find that certificate-seeking students in…

This case study was conducted to gain more knowledge from citizens in the four city area of Virginia which included Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach concerning the emergence of proprietary colleges in these areas. It was a qualitative study designed to gain more insight into the feelings and regard that citizens in these areas…

The latest edition of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's sponsorship annual report highlights our work during the 2021-22 school year, overseeing twelve schools that served 5,500 students in four Ohio cities. We value this opportunity to keep stakeholders and the public informed about our efforts, and provide information on each of the schools…

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…

Current research from 2010-2016 indicates online learner grades have dropped at for- profit virtual institutions. During this same period, part-time online faculty made up for 80-90% of online faculty at for-profit virtual institutions. There is evidence of low online learner grades in an era of increased use of part-time online faculty. The…

Fewer than half of working-age adults hold a credential beyond a high school diploma. As the economy increasingly moves from an industrial base to a knowledge base, this population will need access to high-quality degree programs in relevant fields. Fortunately, online learning has made this achievable. The challenge of serving this population…