Iowa Regents Tuition Task Force Kicks Off

Iowa’s public universities are presenting to the state’s Board of Regents Tuition Task Force this week on their five-year proposals for tuition pricing. The Tuition Task Force “was established to facilitate public discussion regarding the issue of tuition at Iowa’s public universities” and looks to foster collaborative solutions between the state’s legislators and public universities for minimizing tuition increases.

From the Brookings Blog: The For-Profit Student Debt Dilemma

A recent blog post from The Brookings Institution discusses findings from their report on trends in student borrowing across sectors. Overall, the authors found that patterns for borrowing in the for-profit sector are similar to the private nonprofit sector in that students enrolled in these institutions are much more likely to borrow, tend to borrow larger amounts, and supplement federal funding with money from non-federal sources.

Podcast: How Is the Current Political Climate Affecting Higher Education?

ACE’s Senior Vice President Terry Hartle and former Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) discuss the current political environment and higher education under the Trump administration.

Staying on Track While Giving Back: The Cost of Student Loan Servicing Breakdowns for People Serving Their Communities

A new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlights several issues that student loan borrowers face, particularly those who have applied for relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

A Federal-State Partnership for True College Affordability

A Federal-State Partnership for True College Affordability, a recent report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) with support from the Lumina Foundation, estimates the cost of college affordability for traditional and non-traditional students.

How Should We Think About College Affordability?

Before colleges can constructively evaluate and improve their pricing and financial aid policies, they should have a solid understanding of what should go into determining how realistic it is for students and families in different circumstances to pay for the education offered, writes the Urban Institute’s Sandy Baum.

Private College Tuition Discounts Continue to Hit Highs

According to a new report released by NACUBO, private colleges and universities are discounting their tuition revenue at the highest rates to date. By offering grants, scholarships and fellowships, the institutions that participated in the 2016 NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study averaged an estimated 49.1 percent institutional tuition discount rate for first-time, full-time students in 2016-17—the highest in the history of the survey.

College Costs in Context: A State-by-State Look at College (Un)affordability

The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) recently released an issue brief analyzing the net price of college as a share of a student’s family income. According to the brief’s findings there are great inequities in the affordability of public colleges within and across states.

Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2017 Trend Report

The Pell Institute and PennAHEAD recently released the annual Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States report for 2017. According to the report, equity gaps remain in American higher education. The cost of college has continued to increase, and yet, Pell Grants do not cover the same proportion of the average cost of college as they once have.

Urban Institute’s New Website Explores What College Affordability Actually Means

What does college affordability mean? Is affordability the same for all students? A new website from the Urban Institute, with support from the Lumina Foundation, serves as a hub of data and information to answer these questions.

Most Students Hold Less Than $30,000 in Debt

ACE’s Center for Policy Research and Strategy has released an updated version its Paying for College infographic as part of the Higher Education Spotlight series. This analysis unpacks information on the cost of college and how students pay for their education. Among the findings: Most undergraduate students have less than $30,000 in cumulative debt.

IHEP Report Finds College Remains Unaffordable for Many Americans

College affordability is at the forefront of higher education conversations. However, there is not a clear understanding of what is affordable. A recent report by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), with support from the Lumina Foundation, seeks to answer just that.