Topic: Costs

Reducing Student Cost and Enhancing the Value of College Education

May 18, 2022 · · Comments Off on Reducing Student Cost and Enhancing the Value of College Education

Soon, high school graduates will be making monumental decisions that will determine their future quality of life. These decisions include whether to attend college; if so, where; and finally, what degree program to pursue. Research shows that while not guaranteeing career success, a college degree often affords students more control over their destiny and enables a … Continue reading “Reducing Student Cost and Enhancing the Value of College Education”

When Community College Is a Good Investment―And When It Isn’t

Apr 18, 2022 · · Comments Off on When Community College Is a Good Investment―And When It Isn’t

Community college is often seen as a cheaper alternative to traditional four-year undergraduate degree programs, providing students with a widely-accessible means to pursue a postsecondary education without being burdened by tens of thousands of dollars (or more) in student loan debt. But does that perception translate into reality―does community college always pay off? As is … Continue reading “When Community College Is a Good Investment―And When It Isn’t”

Incentivizing Quality Education: UNC System Proposes New Funding Strategy

Apr 4, 2022 · · Comments Off on Incentivizing Quality Education: UNC System Proposes New Funding Strategy

At the UNC system Board of Governors meeting on January 18, a new funding model was proposed, with some adjustments and feedback discussed at a follow-up meeting on February 23. Since the current funding model is outdated in many ways, a new system has been presented with the hope of encouraging educational quality rather than … Continue reading “Incentivizing Quality Education: UNC System Proposes New Funding Strategy”

Did You Know? States Ranked by Debt and Earnings

Mar 31, 2022 · · Comments Off on Did You Know? States Ranked by Debt and Earnings

Last October, the Texas Public Policy Foundation released its national report on the state rankings for public higher education. The ranking is based on median student loan debt and median earnings for university graduates.  The report uses the U.S Department of Education College Scorecard to determine median student loan debt and median earnings. The median … Continue reading “Did You Know? States Ranked by Debt and Earnings”

The Numbers Are in: Are Graduate Degree Programs Worth It?

Mar 28, 2022 · · Comments Off on The Numbers Are in: Are Graduate Degree Programs Worth It?

Preston Cooper, a researcher at The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity studying the economics of higher education, recently published a wide-ranging analysis of almost 14,000 U.S. graduate degree programs. In his investigation―which used a similar methodology to a related study he conducted on the value of undergraduate degrees―Cooper calculated the return on investment (ROI) … Continue reading “The Numbers Are in: Are Graduate Degree Programs Worth It?”

Will Your College Degree be a Good Investment?

Jan 12, 2022 · · Comments Off on Will Your College Degree be a Good Investment?

From the 1960s until quite recently, the conventional wisdom in America was that going to college and earning a degree was a very good investment. The time and money that a student puts into it would be repaid very handsomely over his or her lifetime. College debt was called “good debt.” No need to worry … Continue reading “Will Your College Degree be a Good Investment?”

Vocational Education Goes to College

Jan 7, 2022 · · Comments Off on Vocational Education Goes to College

When the University of Georgia announced that “student success” would be heavily weighted in future tenure decisions, it opened the door to the possibility of a long-overdue change in college curricula. As long as students continue to say that a well-paying job ranks high in their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, they will demand instruction … Continue reading “Vocational Education Goes to College”

Reform in 2022: Our Hopes for the New Year

Dec 31, 2021 · · Comments Off on Reform in 2022: Our Hopes for the New Year

While the year 2021 wasn’t quite as tumultuous and unpredictable as 2020,  the higher education landscape continues to look very different: overall enrollment continues to drop and countless institutions have issued vaccine mandates. At the same time, schools have become all the more emboldened in demanding ideological allegiance to the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” movement. … Continue reading “Reform in 2022: Our Hopes for the New Year”

Let the Buyer Beware!

Dec 20, 2021 · · Comments Off on Let the Buyer Beware!

“Almost all students cite getting a better job as a primary reason for attending college,” writes Preston Cooper in the opening paragraph of his new study, entitled Is College Worth It? A Comprehensive Return on Investment Analysis. He refers to an annual survey by UCLA that found that the percentage of incoming freshmen who state … Continue reading “Let the Buyer Beware!”

Explaining the High Cost of College

Nov 5, 2021 · · Comments Off on Explaining the High Cost of College

The most striking fact about American colleges and universities over the last fifty years is how rapidly the cost of attending has risen. A good perspective on the college cost explosion is found in a November, 2017 study prepared for the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. It states, “A student working full-time over the summer … Continue reading “Explaining the High Cost of College”