Welcome to Our Research Archive
Search and filter by content type, issue area, author, and keyword
May 28, 2025
The Challenge: A Complex and Inefficient Student Loan System
OP_Akers_The-Challenge-A-Complex-and-Inefficient-Student-Loan-System-1Download…
May 7, 2025
Republicans Unveil Plan to Rein in Student Debt and Waste in Higher Education
In a significant development for higher education policy, House Republicans have unveiled a sweeping proposal to reform student loans and financial aid through the federal budget reconciliation process. This effort, which complements…
April 24, 2025
It’s About Time: Bring Back Those Student Loan Collections
This week, the Department of Education announced that on May 5 it will begin collecting on defaulted student loans. This will be the first time since March 2020 that borrowers who have…
March 18, 2025
Rebuilding Higher Education Finance: Reform Through Reconciliation
…Council Moderator: Beth Akers, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute 4:45 p.m. Q&A 5:00 p.m. Adjournment Related Content A Conservative Vision for Higher Education Reform Beth Akers | American Enterprise Institute…
March 14, 2025
A Historic Opportunity for Higher Education Reform
…policy divides between mainstream Democrats and Republicans used to be trivial. For example, 10 years ago, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) proposal to lower student loan interest rates to 3.9 percent seemed radical. It was…
February 24, 2025
A Conservative Vision for Higher Education Reform
…point in the national discourse on higher education policy. On April 22, 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren, vying for the Democratic nomination for president, announced that as president she’d cancel up…
November 20, 2024
Eliminate Federal Lending to Graduate and Professional Students; Revenue to Fund Block Grants to States
Graduate student lending is out of control. Students are effectively borrowing without limit to pay for graduate and professional schools, many of which offer little or no return on their…
September 17, 2024
Back to School: Shedding Light on Risks and Harm in the Private Student Lending and Servicing Market
At present there are more than 1.74 trillion dollars in student loans outstanding in the US economy. This is a massive amount of money that represents serious liabilities for millions…
September 11, 2024
Doing Right by Kids: A Book Event
…school reform and properly assessing student outcomes, and AEI’s Beth Akers addressed the absence of accountability and some of the cultural issues surrounding higher education. The event concluded with a…
August 29, 2024
It’s Time for Radical Reform in Higher Education
There were many years when Republican and Democratic lawmakers weren’t too far apart on higher education policy. Their rhetoric reflected different priorities, but neither party really pushed for a radical…