The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools ("ACICS" or "Council") supports the concept that periodic evaluation entered into voluntarily by institutions and their peers enhances the quality of the educational process and demonstrates that self regulation of a profession is superior to outside regulation. This has been the…

As the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act (popularly known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill or Chapter 33) begins its second academic year of operation, changes loom on the horizon. While this is no surprise to those who know the history of the original GI Bill, some of the changes will have considerable impact not only on veteran students, but…

This Statistics in Brief illustrates the kinds of questions that national data can answer about the amounts U.S. undergraduates pay annually, on average, for postsecondary education, with and without financial aid. This brief draws upon the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), a nationally representative survey of all postsecondary…

This report provides an early indication of fall 2010 enrollments in higher education by documenting changes in the numbers of deposited/confirmed students at four-year colleges and universities as of May 1, 2010, versus May 1, 2009, along with changes in admitted students, applicants, and projected summer melt. The report is based on a Web-based…

Logistic regression models of students' 1-year retention and 6-year retention/graduation for the fall 2000 entering class of students at a research-extensive university in the Midwest were estimated by combining university, financial aid, and Cooperative Institutional Research Program data (n = 1,905; 45% female, 87% Caucasian, 75% in-state).…

This study analyzed data of two freshmen cohorts to examine the effect existence of students' home city geographic characteristics on first-year persistence at a micropolitan university. The geographic factors including proximity and urbanicity of students' home city were combined with the other factors of students' background characteristics,…

Concerns over rising college tuition and slow economic growth have brought renewed attention to the role of federal and state financial aid programs in opening access to education. Despite a large body of literature examining the effects of grant aid on four-year and public two-year college enrollment, for-profit colleges--particularly the vast…

This report provides the Nebraska Legislature with comparative statistics to monitor and evaluate progress toward achieving "three key priorities" for Nebraska's postsecondary education system: (1) Increase the number of students who enter postsecondary education in Nebraska; (2) Increase the percentage of students who enroll and…

This report provides descriptive national data on the prevalence and characteristics of services and support programs for military service members and veterans at postsecondary institutions in the United States. This survey provides the first nationally representative data on this topic. The data presented in this First Look were collected for the…

In higher education, three generally recognized rationales for federal involvement in financial aid exist: (1) Promoting equality of opportunity: Those from poor households are less likely to attend college for a variety of reasons; (2) Credit market imperfections: Students may not have access to the credit needed to make profitable investments in…

This report lists positions on bills adopted by the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) at its March 2 meeting. It also lists other bills that CPEC staff are tracking. Many of these are spot bills at this point--introduced with little substantive content and may be developed during the session. Staff will continue to track bills…

The United States has long been a model for accessible, affordable education, as exemplified by the country's public universities. And yet less than 60 percent of the students entering American universities today are graduating. Why is this happening, and what can be done? "Crossing the Finish Line" provides the most detailed exploration…

The United States faces a period of opportunity for reinvention unlike any other, and the need for dramatic reform extends to higher education. Today, the United States is at a crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges in meeting expectations and upholding values that have long distinguished the nation. For the benefit of every American,…

This article discusses the recent changes to the Higher Education Opportunities Act (HEOA), P.L. 110-315, which have resulted in providing greater access to college programs to students with intellectual disabilities (ID). Prior to the amendments to HEOA, only students who were enrolled full time in a degree bearing program were eligible to…

Many educational systems have struggled with the question about how best to give out financial aid. In particular, if students do not know the amount of financial aid that they can receive before they make a decision about where to go to college and what major to study, it may distort their decision. This study utilizes an experiment (implemented…