The time is now to examine the nation's capacity to help guide students in gaining access to, paying for, and graduating from college. College promise programs have served as an excellent model. But because a uniform, national college promise model would not adequately serve the estimated 20 million students in postsecondary education, ETS and…

In "Lifting the Veil on the Enrollment Management Industry," Stephen J. Burd brings together higher education journalists, researchers, and industry insiders to examine how this industry has evolved to shape US college admissions since its inception in the 1980s. Noting the inequities that have been caused or perpetuated by enrollment…

Also known as "free tuition" and "free college" programs, college promise programs are an emerging approach for increasing higher education attainment of people in particular places. To maximize the effectiveness of their efforts and investments, program leaders and policymakers need research-based evidence to inform program…

Within California, there is widespread understanding and consensus that college affordability is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Along with this consensus on the nature and implications of California's college affordability problems, there is also emerging agreement about how to tackle it. While this convergence can form the backbone of a…

Federal free-college policies are now at the center of the Democratic higher education agenda. Sen. Bernie Sanders helped move the idea into the mainstream during the 2016 presidential campaign, and other lawmakers have since worked to advance the policy in Congress. Joe Biden effectively put free college on the ballot in 2020 when he fully…

College promise programs are spreading throughout this United States. These programs fund tuition and/or fees for eligible students who are actively progressing toward earning postsecondary certificates and undergraduate degrees. While existing college promise programs have varying designs, each one appears to be seeking continuous and long-term…

This White Paper presents the work of the Consortium for Higher Education Tax Reform, a partnership funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the second phase of its Reimagining Aid Design and Delivery (RADD) initiative. Consortium partners are the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success at CLASP, the Education Trust, New…

In "Accountability and Opportunity in Higher Education," leading scholars address the unforeseen impact of accountability standards on students of color and the institutions that disproportionately serve them. The book describes how federal policies can worsen existing racial inequalities in higher education and offers alternative…

Learn how to engage and advocate for undocumented children and youth with this new resource written by and for teachers. "Teachers as Allies" provides educators with the information and tools they need to involve immigrant students and their American-born siblings and peers in inclusive and transformative classroom experiences. The…

California's Master Plan for Higher Education represented a promise, of an affordable college education, to every person who could benefit. For decades, California's lawmakers honored that promise. Rapidly increasing college fees, coupled with higher costs for room and board, books, transportation, and healthcare are pricing students out of higher…

Chapters in this collection discuss the state of access to U.S. higher education institutions for lower income students and the status of student aid programs. The chapters of part 1, "College Access Issues for Lower Income Students," contains: (1) "Educational Opportunity in America" (Brian K. Fitzgerald and Jennifer A. Delaney); and (2) "An…

On September 27, 1991, a seminar was held by faculty, administrators, and other higher education practitioners to discuss financial aid issues related to the almost 11 million nontraditional students in the nation's colleges and universities. This monograph describes those issues and presents four papers that formed the background to seminar…

The vast disparities in college attendance and graduation rates between students from different class backgrounds is a growing social concern. "Economic Inequality and Higher Education" investigates the connection between income inequality and unequal access to higher education, and proposes solutions that the state and federal governments and…

This monograph about the college selection process is desigend to help students explore choices and options. It contains 20 articles, designed to complement the counselor's guidance efforts. These are: (1) "Getting the Most from Your High School Counselor," (James Warfield); (2) "The Use of the SAT at Selective Colleges,"…

A central dream of American parents is sending their kids to college. What used to be unusual has now become a necessity if young people are to have a secure life in the middle class in a post-industrial economy. As such, one basic goal of higher education policy should be to make certain that this opportunity is not foreclosed by a family's…