In 2006 the Educational Policy Institute released the first edition of "Beyond the Sticker Price: A Closer Look at Canadian University Tuition Fees." The report presented a new way by which to look at the prices and costs associated with university tuition, an alternative to the annual tuition fee report produced by Statistics Canada…

The United States Department of Education's "Annual Performance Report" (APR) for fiscal year (FY) 2009 provides detailed information on how the outcomes of the strategic performance measures identified in its "FY 2007-2012 Strategic Plan" and updated in the "Fiscal Year 2008 Performance and Accountability Report"…

Discusses strategies to keep down the cost of sending children to college and increase retirement savings. Suggestions include looking for any kind of scholarship funds such as academic, athletic, or music; staying in one's own state; joining the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC); haggling; and requiring student employment to defray expenses.…

This report examines levels of debt incurred by students and families for undergraduate education, and explores the implications significant debt levels may have on access to higher education. Included in the analysis are undergraduate debt levels at California public and private institutions and comparisons of California student debt with student…

The Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services issues final regulations governing specific provisions of the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program authorized under part D of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, as amended (IDEA or Act). The regulations are needed…

The college financial aid system imposes an implicit asset tax that is prevalent and substantial. Facing this tax, rational families should reduce their total assets and shelter assets in protected categories. I find that the tax induces a 7-12% reduction in total assets, a result in line with the literature. Furthermore, I find evidence that…

This report highlights the affordability gaps faced by California's community colleges. Despite the lowest tuition in the country and tuition waivers for the lowest-income students, many California students struggle to afford the total cost of education, which includes housing, food, health care, and textbooks. And although California students are…

As part of its Performance Accountability Framework, the Commission analyzed the affordability of public colleges and universities. This report summarizes how the real cost of a college education in California changed between 1996 and 2004 and examines the way students at California's public colleges and universities paid for their education. In…

Barack Obama agreed to answer a series of questions submitted via e-mail to his campaign. This article presents excerpts of "The Chronicle"'s exchange with the senator and candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, in which he discussed his policy suggestions for student aid and college access; the appropriate role of the federal…

This factsheet describes the estimated total cost of attending a public university in California. This total cost includes all required institutional charges, on-campus room and board, books and supplies, transportation, clothes, and personal expenses. For attending a campus of California State University, the total cost is estimated to be an…

As part of a larger effort to fund public universities, variable fees at the graduate and undergraduate levels are a topic of discussion in the United States and increasingly throughout the European Union. This essay describes the relatively new shift to have students pay for a significant portion of their university education, emerging fee…

This case study explores devolution of low-income student subsidies, via the national student loans program, from the central to local governments in Latvia by means of decentralizing political and financial responsibility to provide public assistance to low-income students in obtaining funds for higher education. It describes municipal engagement…

This paper studies the nature and impact of credit constraints in the market for human capital. We derive endogenous constraints from the design of government student loan programs and from the limited repayment incentives in private lending markets. These constraints imply cross-sectional patterns for schooling, ability, and family income that…

This study compared and contrasted data reports of two national policy centers on the affordability of public higher education. The study examined cost findings of the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) and the major affordability findings of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (NCPPHE). Both policy centers…

Starting college is indeed one of life's transitions that can be stressful. Many students are leaving home for the first time, leaving the support of family and friendship networks, and embarking on all kinds of challenges, including the stress of academic performance. Now financial distress plays an even bigger role than previously known. The…