Written by: Tom Harnisch, Kelsey Kunkle, and Casey McCoy-Simmons, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association President Biden’s recent announcement of a sweeping federal student loan forgiveness plan has led to renewed questions on the effectiveness of federal policies designed to make college affordable. In response to the Administration’s announcement, Democratic…

Written by: Lynneah Brown and John Lane, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association Implementing and sustaining evidence-based comprehensive student support strategies continues to grow in importance as an effective way to help close the success gap for students from low-income families and students of color. Challenges that were facing students…

Written by: John Lane, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association Earning meaningful credentials at higher rates is the longstanding vision state governments propose to sustain and improve states’ economic enterprises. With recommendations from stakeholders across government, education, business, and community sectors,[1] policymakers often translate this aspiration for higher postsecondary attainment…

Written by Dr. Jacob Fowles What is the return on the investment in higher education for a student? A cursory review of both legislative agendas and scholarly research suggests that this question is as important as it is difficult to answer. Evidence conclusively demonstrates that, on average, earnings for those…

Written by Monoka Venters Starting a new program is a risk — and it’s a risk that often doesn’t pay off. According to a 2020 report from Burning Glass Technologies, 30% of new programs failed to get students across the finish line; specifically, 3,194 of the 10,538 programs that graduated…

Written by Erik Ness, Sean Baser, & Matt Dean The “regulatory triad” serves many functions related to postsecondary educational quality and public accountability. Yet, two actors — regional accreditors and the federal government — have received the lion’s share of attention in the regulation of institutions. Recently, however, higher education…

Written by Sophia Laderman, Jenna R. Sablan, Kelsey Kunkle The education provisions of the FY22 budget reconciliation bill would fundamentally reshape higher education financing. The legislation could result in the most significant federal investments in higher education in over 50 years and would represent a new federal funding strategy for…

Written by James Dean Ward To be eligible to access federal student aid programs, colleges and universities are required to receive authorization from the state or states within which they operate. Over the last decade, the rise in online postsecondary programs created increasingly complicated administrative challenges to state authorization: Institutions…

Written by Neal Hutchens, Frank Fernandez, and Macey Edmondson Students at for-profit colleges and universities too often fall victim to predatory practices, resulting in individuals being overburdened by debt, failing to earn a degree, or possessing poor career prospects. Much of the conversation around bad actor for-profit colleges and universities…