Resources

Adult Pathways

Part-Time Students Must Be a Full-Time Priority

Aug. 1, 2022

Part-Time Students Must Be a Full-Time Priority helps colleges understand and act on completion data for both part-time and full-time students.

Download PDF Continue Reading

Today, approximately 7.5 million Americans are in default on their federal student loans. Borrowers enter default when they miss 270 days’ worth of payments, and being behind on student loan bills comes with severe financial consequences. Borrowers in default can be charged high collection fees and have portions of their wages, tax refunds, and federal…

Research and Evaluation

Varying Degrees 2022

July 25, 2022

New America’s sixth annual survey on higher education entails interviews with 1,517 Americans ages 18 and older to better understand their perceptions of education after high school.

Download PDF Continue Reading

Research and Evaluation

College Enrollment During the Pandemic

July 25, 2022

While overall enrollment in postsecondary education has been declining over the past decade, the pandemic appears to have exacerbated this trend, especially at community colleges and among nontraditional students. Enrollment across all sectors has dropped from just over 17 million students in spring 2020 to just under 16 million in spring 2022.

Download PDF Continue Reading

Federal Policy

Pell Access and Completion Series

Part II: Public and Non-Profit Four-Year Universities

July 13, 2022

The Pell Grant is targeted to students with the greatest financial need, and many policymakers find the Pell Grant a useful policy lever for promoting access and success for students from lower- and moderate-income backgrounds. There are several examples where policymakers use Pell eligibility to allocate resources and hold colleges accountable for their outcomes; however,…

Download PDF Continue Reading

Racial Justice and Equity

Increasing Equity in College Student Experience

Findings From a National Collaborative

July 12, 2022

A multi-year national project focused on increasing student belonging and academic success has culminated in this report from the Student Experience Project outlining tangible interventions universities and colleges can implement.

Download PDF Continue Reading

Communications

Facing What Ails Us Ahead

Public Consensus on a New Direction for Higher Education

July 11, 2022

Once viewed as a sound investment in a better life, many Americans now see higher education as an expensive gamble. Declining enrollments and eroding public and institutional support are plaguing our nation’s postsecondary institutions right now, and the public is continuing to lose faith that a college education is worth the money and time or…

Download PDF Continue Reading

Racial Justice and Equity

Greater Funding, Greater Needs

A Report on Funding for HBCUs

July 8, 2022

Historically Black colleges and universities have distinguished themselves over the past two years in the face of uncertainty and difficulty. They innovated to embrace remote learning and redirected funds to provide their students with much-needed support. And they received an outpouring of funding: The federal government has allocated more than $6.5 billion to HBCUs over…

Download PDF Continue Reading

Research and Evaluation

Lost and Found: State and Institutional Actions to Resolve Stranded Credits

July 7, 2022

Nationally, researchers estimates that more than six million students have completed credits at postsecondary institutions that they cannot document due to a past due balances. These overdue balances contribute to a national problem of stranded credits—credits that students have completed but cannot document because they were unable to fulfill their financial obligations to their institution.…

Download PDF Continue Reading

Communications

America’s Hidden Common Ground on Public Higher Education

What’s Wrong and How to Fix It

July 7, 2022

Americans think higher education can help people economically, particularly in their home states, according to this Public Agenda/USA TODAY Hidden Common Ground report. But by a variety of measures, Americans question whether the benefits of college are worth the cost. Young people without degrees are especially skeptical.

Download PDF Continue Reading