We generate selection-adjusted NPV and IRR estimates for a bachelor's degree in the U.S. which account for time-to-graduation, debt financing and tuition levels. We find that a college degree is generally worthwhile, but the private value of the investment is a declining function of time-to-graduation. Selection-adjustments show that for students…

This study examined the effects of unsubsidized federal Stafford loans on six-year degree attainment at 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S., and how these differentially impact students across income groups. For this, nationally representative data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:04/09) and the Integrated Postsecondary…

The prominence of discourse on postsecondary degree completion, student persistence, and retention has increased in the national dialogue. Heightened attention to college completion rates by the federal government and pressure to tie state funding to performance metrics associated with graduation rates are catalysts for the discussion.…

Students and their families evaluate net price when determining whether they can afford a college. But what affects net price? There are factors, such as instructional inefficiencies, administrative expenses, federal financial aid, and state appropriations, that have been noted in the literature that have an impact on costs and tuition. This study…

Many education systems face a challenge in recruiting graduates as teachers. This is also the situation in Norway and the newest estimates tell us that we will lack 9000 teachers in 2020. The situation is made even worse by the high number of dropouts and low performance rates in teacher education. There are many factors which have an impact on…

Student employment subsidies are one of the largest types of federal employment subsidies, and one of the oldest forms of student aid. Yet it is unclear whether they help or harm students' long term outcomes. This document contains the appendices to the report "Should Student Employment Be Subsidized? Conditional Counterfactuals and the…

This study was undertaken to (a) expand scholarship on the impact of undergraduate student loan borrowing level on the timing of initial entry to master's degree or first professional degree programs, and (b) to assist higher education policy makers and practitioners in serving the needs of students as they progress through the various stages…

There is a widespread assumption that study abroad develops skills that are marketable in an increasingly global market. Students at many institutions, including Old Dominion University (ODU), have undertaken study abroad mostly after their sophomore year, well after they have chosen a major. The profile of U.S. students studying abroad compiled…

Consistent increases to the educational costs to attend the University of California are the current climate students and families find themselves grappling with. The federal work study program is one program employed to support students and their families in financing the cost of education. In an effort to further enhance the professional…

In 2010, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission changed its allotment of funding to an outcomes-based system (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2012, p.1). This meant that universities and colleges received money based on factors including associate degrees, certifications, and job placement rather than on enrollment, as institutions of…

In 2010, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission changed its allotment of funding to an outcomes-based system (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2012, p.1). This meant that universities and colleges received money based on factors including associate degrees, certifications, and job placement rather than on enrollment, as institutions of…

In 2010, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission changed its allotment of funding to an outcomes-based system (Tennessee Higher Education Commission, 2012, p.1). This meant that universities and colleges received money based on factors including associate degrees, certifications, and job placement rather than on enrollment, as institutions of…

There is growing interest in leveraging Title IV student aid to improve college completion. Advocates have proposed linking funding in the Pell and Campus-Based Programs to measures of college performance. However, to do so in an equitable and efficient manner, raw measures of college output, such as rates of graduation and academic progress, must…

Approximately 23 million students enrolled in undergraduate postsecondary education in the United States during the 2011-12 academic year (Simone et al. 2013). The Web Tables in this report provide a comprehensive source (2011-12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study [NPSAS:12]) of information on the financial aid that was awarded to these…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine time and efficiency to undergraduate degree completion. Four dependent variables were examined including semesters enrolled, semesters elapsed, graduation efficiency index (GEI), and alternative GEI. Many independent variables were assessed to determine if they had a correlation to time or…