This document records testimony from a hearing before the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development of the Committee on Education and the Workforce that was held to examine lowering costs and increasing value for students, institutions, and taxpayers. Opening statements were provided by: (1) Honorable Burgess Owens, Chairman,…

Tuition discounting (TD), a practice whereby institutional grants are used to subsidize a student's educational expense, has become a common practice at four-year institutions. TDs impact on enrollments, financial aid, and budgets continues to increase, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of the practice. Drawing upon Breneman's…

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA's) largest educational program. It provides payments for eligible veterans to cover tuition and fees, housing and other costs while they pursue a higher education. However, for some veterans this pursuit is interrupted when the school they attend unexpectedly closes. This testimony…

Over the past few decades, public universities have faced significant declines in state funding per student. We investigate whether these declines affected the educational and research outcomes of these schools. We present evidence that declining funding induced public universities to shift toward tuition as their primary source of revenue.…

This study examines the impact of "Promise" programs on postsecondary institutions' decision-making. Promise programs have garnered widespread attention in the U.S., especially after the announcement of the Kalamazoo Promise, but relatively little scholarly research. Promise programs provide grant aid to all students from a particular…

While college affordability continues to be a major concern to individuals, families, legislators, and others across the United States, higher education institutions continue to seek new tuition-based revenue streams, such as the use of Differential Tuition. Differential Tuition (DT) policies are purposeful variations in undergraduate tuition…

Dr. Bryan L. Garton presented the 2018 AAAE Distinguished Lecture at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Agricultural Education in Charleston, South Carolina in May 2018. The article is a philosophical work based upon the author's experiences in the agricultural education profession and in higher education.

In the fall of 2017, the University System of Georgia (USG) embarked upon a robust study to determine the cost of delivering online education at each USG institution. An in-depth analysis related to the cost of online course and faculty development; technology and infrastructure; support services and; administrative services was conducted on each…

According to the US Department of Education, adult learners make up 45% of all part-time enrollment in community colleges, compared to only 27% of full-time students. As the enrollment of adult learners in post-secondary education increases across the US, accountability efforts among higher education institutions has prioritized full-time…

This study explores the impact of state-level guaranteed tuition laws on state general appropriations for higher education. Using the "Truth-in-Tuition" law that was implemented in Illinois in 2004 as the treatment condition, this study analyzes data from 2000-2012. To test the direction and size of the effect on state general…

Recent reports reveal that due to many factors, the U.S. has experienced an unprecedented decline in attracting new international students (IIE, 2017) in higher education. In addition to obvious changes in the political climate and competition, national and institutional barriers contribute to this phenomenon. Other countries, specifically…

Previous research has shown that Tax Revolt Provisions (TRPs) aimed at limiting state government revenues and/or expenditures, negatively impact public higher education funding. This analysis explores the influence of these same types of policies on average in-state undergraduate tuition and fees at public four-year colleges and universities.…

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 paper examines the debate in the U.S. Senate over the reasons why state governments have decreased funding for higher education. One side believes that federal mandates on states to pay for Medicaid have forced them to reduce spending on higher education. The other side believes that states unwisely reduced taxes, which decreased their…

The issue of rising tuition fee in higher education in the UK and other western countries has been debated by researchers and educators alike. The discussions have shown that the increases have had a negative impact on access, retention and career development. This paper examines the impact of rising tuition fees on access, retention and students'…