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March 13, 2025

Trends in Net College Tuition and Financial Aid, 1990–2020

Key Points  While the sticker price of college rose $13,717 in real terms between 1989–90 and 2019–20, the net tuition students pay after financial aid rose just $4,526. However, the…

February 6, 2025

High Costs, Uneven Value: Repairing The Federal Role in Postsecondary Education

The higher education system suffers from many problems, including excessive costs, low completion rates, uneven financial value for students, and high rates of student loan nonpayment. Federal government policies unintentionally…

January 29, 2025

How State Governments Can Fight Degree Inflation

Key Points State governments contribute to degree inflation—the addition of college degree requirements to jobs that did not previously have them—through their own hiring practices, and through occupational licensing laws….

January 23, 2025

Four College Enrollment Trends to Watch

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) published its biannual report on college enrollment trends this morning, providing a comprehensive look at how student numbers totaled up in fall 2024. NSC’s preliminary figures, released…

January 21, 2025

How Trump Can Permanently Fix the Student Loan Program

Even before he took office, President Donald Trump was already securing major policy wins. Trump’s election induced the Biden administration to withdraw two pending regulations that would have canceled over $250 billion in federal student…

January 6, 2025

Congress Can Block Student Loan Cancellation—Forever

Over the holiday season, the Biden administration withdrew two pending regulations to unilaterally cancel hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of student loans. Officials evidently judged that the administration would not have time to…

December 18, 2024

Employers Should Drop Hiring Preferences for “Elite 34” Colleges

How do you know if someone went to Harvard? They’ll tell you. If a recent Wall Street Journal story is any indication, though, that classic joke may soon be outdated. According to the…

December 17, 2024

Industrial Policy and Deficits: Dark Clouds for Democratic Capitalism

…in commercial transactions without government interference should be the default position in a free society. Free markets use the voluntary cooperation and choices of millions of workers, households and businesses…

December 17, 2024

States Should Drop Accreditation Requirements for New Colleges

Key Points  Most states require private degree-granting universities to gain recognition from an accrediting agency to operate. Accreditation is a significant barrier to entry in higher education. Accreditors force colleges…

December 11, 2024

Some College Graduates Are Taking Lower-Paying Jobs

The promise of higher education is to equip students with new ideas and skills that will help them land higher-paying jobs. For many students, this dream comes true—but that is…