Concerns about the cost of college—and the debt students are taking on to finance their education—are pushing questions of value into the public spotlight. Explore recent headlines and various perspectives on the issue.
Strada Education Network partnered with Gallup and the Lumina Foundation to examine how U.S. veterans without college degrees feel about higher education and the benefits they can receive from non-degree forms of education. The report finds that among all U.S. adults without degrees, veterans are much more likely to have certificates and certifications than non-veterans.
In a recent interview with The EvoLLLution, Paul Glastris discusses college rankings and their implications for higher education equity and policy. Typical college rankings, like those released by U.S. News & World Report, can incentivize colleges to become more exclusive in order to rise in the rankings, leading to a more expensive education that caters less to low-income students.
This report from the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions examines the intergenerational income mobility of students who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), especially compared with those who attend Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The findings reveal that more than half of students at HBCUs experience some measure of upward mobility.
A new study from the Institute on Assets and Social Policy at Brandeis University found that 20 years after entering repayment, the median white student borrower had paid back 94 percent of their student debt while the media black borrower still owed 95 percent. The study notes that black borrowers experience more discrimination in labor markets and are more likely to support older relatives.
The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) recently released its annual study on the student loan debt of recent college graduates, documenting changes and variation in student loan debt across states and institutions. The study finds that roughly two-thirds, or 65 percent, of 2018 bachelor's degree recipients from public and private nonprofit colleges had taken out student loans.
A new report from the California Student Aid Commission surveyed California college students about their experiences and perceptions of college affordability. The data show variances in expenses for college costs by race/ethnicity, age, and region—Black and Hispanic students had the greatest difficulty affording college expenses and experienced higher food and housing insecurity while older students and those with dependents also faced greater obstacles to affordability.
A first-generation college student reflects on how she learned the importance of putting college value ahead of prestige and came to see community colleges as engines of social mobility.
As a former teacher, academic and policy analyst, Laura McKenna wanted her son to understand the financial realities of college and the importance of picking a school based on the value it provides.
Jefferson Noël, a recent graduate of Florida International University, argues that students need access to more information about what colleges will do for them and how they will pay for it.
This Q&A with author Jennifer M. Morton discusses her new book about the costs of social mobility in higher education and her experience navigating college as a first-generation student.
A new book from Paul Tough considers whether higher education in America is more an engine of, or an obstacle to, economic and social mobility.
New research on the effects of student loans at community colleges found that simply cutting loans without replacing those lost dollars with grants or lower tuition hinders students’ academic progress.
The Postsecondary Value Commission held its second of four meetings at California State University, Fullerton, where the commission heard from local students, alumni and employers. CSUF, where commission member Mildred Garcia previously served as president, has seen important gains in the past decade including rising graduation rates and shrinking achievement and opportunity gaps for transfer students. Note: This story may require a subscription to view.
For most students, a bachelor’s degree is a wise financial investment, but weighing the costs against the expected labor market outcomes is a worthwhile exercise. Postsecondary Value Commission members Anthony Carnevale and Luis Talavera share their insights and a good resource for prospective college students in this article.
Some of the most common misconceptions about debt include the idea that students can pay their way through college by working and that a college degree isn’t worth the debt.
The Postsecondary Value Commission launched with a goal to provide useful information to help colleges understand how and how well they are contributing to economic opportunity for students, aid policy makers in gauging returns on investment in higher education, and equip students and families to make decisions about higher education.
The three-pronged goal of the Postsecondary Value Commission is to develop a definition of the value of college, create a way to measure how individual colleges and universities create value for students and create a set of recommendations for policymakers, politicians, and higher education officials.
The Postsecondary Value Commission intends to create a way of defining and measuring the return on investment that postsecondary education or training delivers.