Huge University Spending Yields Little Value
Why do public university officials do the things they do? What drives their decisions to allocate scarce resources in some ways and not others? In his recent book The University…
Student Loans: A Multi-Generational Financial Trap
When the United States began its experiment with federally backed student loans in the 1960s, no one predicted that, by the early 21st century, students would have run up over…
North Carolina Has the Degrees, But What About the Paychecks?
The hot new words in higher education are educational attainment and career outcomes. Educational attainment is the raw share of adults who hold a degree or credential. Career outcomes or…
What Will UNC Tuition Hikes Pay For?
Tuition hikes in higher education are painful, reluctantly accepted, and justified with promises that the money will go to essential needs. If students really must pay more, an important question…
Skin In the Game At Last
Startling news from the world of student-loan reform: A federal intervention appears to be not only working on its own terms but producing beneficial knock-on effects. With apologies to the…
The Pros and Cons of Short-Term Pell Grants
As a general rule, when the government intervenes in free economic transactions in a market, it distorts that market and makes people worse off. We might not see such negative…
New Data on the “Plight” of Adjuncts
New data are out on adjuncts—the part-time, untenured faculty who teach many college classes—and the tale they tell isn’t great. However, dive a little deeper and the truth becomes more…
Should Illegal Immigrants Get In-State Tuition?
Politicians in different states see in-state tuition benefits for “undocumented” students very differently. Some see them as rewarding illegal immigration, while others see them as investing in the community. States…
UNC Tuition Has Already Tripled
Last month, members of the UNC System Board of Governors’ Committee on Budget and Finance discussed proposed tuition increases, including increases for in-state undergraduates. This is the first time in…
UW’s Budget Cuts Aren’t Enough
On January 13, 2026, the Wyoming Legislature’s most powerful body—the Joint Appropriations Committee—voted to cut and withhold nearly $61 million from the University of Wyoming’s recommended budget. News of the…