Reports & Tools

A Crisis in Confidence in Higher Ed (Angela Henderson)

This report examines possible factors impacting Gallup’s finding that confidence in higher education in the U.S. has decreased significantly since 2015.

A Majority of U.S. Colleges Admit Most Students Who Apply (Casey Kerins)

While much attention is directed towards the 17 colleges with a 10% or lower acceptance rate, data show that overall, colleges admit most of their applicant. See this report from the Pew Research Center on college applications and admissions.

The State of Educational Equity (Angela Henderson)

The State of Educational Equity tool provides comparative state-level data on a variety of educational elements from higher education, including enrollment, affordability, and outcomes.

HigherEd Polling Dashboard

This new project from New America contains a compilation of public opinion surveys on higher education conducted in the U.S. since 2010. Higher education topics include issues of funding and affordability, diversity and equity, and value. The interactive dashboard currently contains 70 searchable surveys and is expected to be a helpful source for researchers, journalists, and the general public who are interested in understanding public opinion on higher education issues. (Source: PostSec Data)

Quick Facts About Student Debt

This two-page fact sheet from The Institute for College Access and Success provides data on student debt drawn from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study from 1996 to 2016. Over the past 20 years, the average amount of undergraduate student debt has increased from $12,750 to $29,650, and in 2016, graduates with debt represented 69% of all students graduating with a bachelor’s degree. Students who represent the largest share of recipients with student debt and the highest average debt amounts are students who attend for-profit institutions, Black graduates, and older graduates—students who began postsecondary education when they were at least 24 years old. (Source: PostSec Data)

Emerging Trends

EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: 2019 Higher Education Edition (Angela Henderson)

This report examines key trends, significant challenges, and important developments in educational technology as ranked by an expert panel of higher education leaders.

Community College Expands Internationally to Grow Enrollment (Casey Kerins)

Many community colleges have been recruiting internationally for enrollment, but Hudson Valley Community College is “looking beyond U.S. borders” by expanding courses and programs internationally. Hudson Valley will offer academic programs to students in Central America and the Caribbean. These plans include the ability to transfer courses and attend the University at Albany. With community colleges experiencing increasing challenges with enrollment, perhaps more will follow in Hudson Valley’s steps to educate abroad.

State Higher Education Finance: FY2018 (Angela Henderson)

The State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report examines the trends, context, and consequences of state higher education funding decisions in FY 2018. The report offers a comprehensive look at how states navigated complex funding environments and undertook efforts, where possible, to restore public investments in higher education as they recovered from a significant economic downturn.

The Changing Face of College (Casey Kerins)

A special series by NPR documents the “Changing Face of College,” with radio segments on adult learners, higher education for people in prison, navigating financial aid, and more. Each segment provides a glimpse into the trends of college students in 2019.

Policy Watch

Dem Lawmaker Calls Bipartisan College Transparency Act a ‘Game Changer’ for Higher Education

This article summarizes recent comments from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Rep. Paul Mitchell, co-sponsors of the College Transparency Act (CTA), on how CTA would be a “game changer” for families by producing new data useful for students and families to make more informed postsecondary decisions. If enacted, the bill would provide program-level outcomes that can be disaggregated by subpopulation, such as race/ethnicity and veteran status. The bill currently has 30 House co-sponsors and the support of more than 166 outside groups. (Source: PostSec Data / The Hill)

Innovative, Forward-Thinking Recommendations to Congress on Higher Education Policy (Angela Henderson)

This report provides 36 recommendations policy put forth by the NASFAA appointed Higher Education Committee of 50, which includes representation from numerous roles and areas of higher education. Recommendations are divided into four broad topics: access, accountability, affordability, and transparency.

Elizabeth Warren’s Higher Education Plan: Cancel Student Debt and Eliminate Tuition (Casey Kerins)

Elizabeth Warren recently revealed her Higher Education proposal to cancel up to $50,000 of student loan debt and eliminate tuition for public colleges and universities.

Judge Blocks “Unlawful Presence” Policy (Casey Kerins)

On Friday, May 6, a federal judge temporarily blocked the 2018 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services policy memo that inadvertently could affect international students. Four colleges sued the administration in October 2018.

NCES Updates

TRP Suggestions Posted and Open for Comment

Suggestions from Technical Review Panel #58, “Exploring Best Practices in Data Visualization" are posted here and are currently open for comment. Comments should be sent to Janice Kelly-Reid, IPEDS Project Director at RTI International, at ipedsTRPcomment@rti.org, and are due by June 10, 2019.

Reminder: OMB Seeks Comment on IPEDS Changes for 2019-20 Through 2021-22

As noted in a previous This Week in IPEDS, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking comments on proposed changes to the IPEDS Collection for years 2019-20 through 2021-22. Details on the proposed changes can be found in the Supporting Documents posted on the regulations.gov website. Comments should be submitted through the regulations.gov site linked above and are due by May 20, 2019.

New WWC Practice Guide on Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student Learning

The What Works Clearinghouse has released a new practice guide that focuses on promising uses of technologies associated with improving postsecondary student learning outcomes. Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student Learning will help higher education instructors, instructional designers, and administrators support learning through the effective use of technology.

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2018

This NCES report examines a variety of topics related to school safety and crime for both K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions, including student perceptions of personal safety at school and frequency of criminal incidents.

IPEDS Finance Data Reveal How Pension Benefits May Contribute to the Growth of Public Postsecondary Institutions’ Financial Liabilities

In the long-standing conversation of high college costs, ever wonder what public colleges and universities owe? For Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) using the Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS) found that 1,624 public institutions carried debt and total financial obligations of $451 billion in current dollars.