Many students enroll in college without proper preparation. Although they may demonstrate they are prepared academically, students who lack the knowledge and awareness of the higher education environment might not succeed in their first year. Although there are standardized exams to evaluate academic preparedness, there are few assessments that…

With student debt exceeding $1.5 trillion in 2018, institutions of higher education face increased pressure to improve college affordability. In response, a small but growing number of institutions have implemented income share agreements (ISAs) as an alternative way to help students pay for all, or a portion of, their college tuition. In an ISA…

Student loan debt continues to grow at a rapid pace (Scott-Clayton, 2018). The total debt burden for each student graduating from college is over $35,000, and that number is likely to gradually rise as tuition costs and fees at institutions of higher education increase (Friedman, 2018). The problem is not that students accrue debt but rather the…

The Appropriation Act directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to submit an annual report to the Governor and the chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees documenting the annual change in total charges for tuition and fees approved by the boards of visitors at Virginia public…

The Appropriation Act directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to submit an annual report to the Governor and the chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees documenting the annual change in total charges for tuition and fees approved by the boards of visitors at Virginia public…

The Appropriation Act directs the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to submit an annual report to the Governor and the chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees on the annual change in total charges for tuition and fees approved by the boards of visitors at Virginia public institutions of higher…

This report outlines key data elements related to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), and Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) for the 2021-22 academic year and is a core resource for policymakers, institutional leaders, counselors and other stakeholders across the region. This report…

Texas's higher education plan, 60x30TX, calls for undergraduate student loan debt to not exceed 60 percent of first-year wages for graduates of Texas public institutions by 2030 (earning a certificate, associate's, or bachelor's). The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) calculates the total undergraduate debt of a graduate as all…

This report outlines key data elements related to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), and Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) for the 2019-20 academic year across a range of categories. This report contains participation and migration statistics for each of the Western Interstate Commission…

This issue of "Policy Insights" reviews the results from the annual survey, conducted by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), of tuition and fees at public colleges and universities in the WICHE region, and discusses related policy implications. The WICHE region includes 15 states--Alaska, Arizona, California,…

We examine college affordability under the existing pricing and financial aid system that awards both non need-based and need-based aid. Using data of freshmen attending a large number of selective private and public colleges in the USA, we find that the prices students actually pay for college have increased over time. Need-based grant aid has…

For 65 years, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has been serving the students of the West. The largest of WICHE's three Student Access Programs, the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), helps more than 40,000 Western undergraduates save on nonresident tuition. The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) allows…

This First Look report presents selected findings about student financial aid during the 2015-16 academic year. These findings are based on data from the 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16), a nationally representative sample survey of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled any time between July 1, 2015, and June 30,…

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) Statewide Survey delivers objective, advocacy-free information on the perceptions, opinions, and public policy preferences of California residents. PPIC invites input, comments, and suggestions from policy and public opinion experts and from its own advisory committee, but survey methods, questions,…

Both the published tuition and fee prices of colleges and universities and the net prices students pay after subtracting grant aid and tax credits and deductions continued to rise between 2016-17 and 2017-18, even after adjusting for inflation. Average net prices in 2017-18 remain lower at public two-year and private nonprofit four-year…