Public higher education is currently experiencing a decline in financial support from state governments, an acceleration of enrollment growth, and a shift from a transformational to a transactional student relationship. Private institutions are also struggling with increasing operational costs, and decreases in revenue from endowments and…

This article examines the introduction of variable tuition fees for university students in the UK--an initiative that has become totemic in British higher education policy. The article seeks to identify the origin of this policy, using the work of Michael Oakeshott (1962) as a framework for discussing the rationality of new Labour. The rhetoric of…

This study estimates the extent that state financial support for higher education raises college attainment. Despite its manifest importance for policy, this is the first study to estimate this effect directly. Many studies have estimated the effect of college price on attendance, but state support for higher education and college price do not…

On August 1, 2009, the most generous veterans education benefit program since the original post-World War II GI Bill went into effect. The Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act, popularly known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, pays for up to 100 percent of a veteran's tuition/required fees at a state college/university depending on the veteran's…

This report forms an important part of the programme of work that Universities UK is undertaking in preparation for the independent review of variable tuition fees in higher education in England that will begin this year. This new report which is based on work that CRA International has undertaken over the past few months, extends our work in a…

Eduardo Marti has seen good times and tough times. He's watched as community colleges have evolved and adapted to a rapidly changing world. But these days, the president of Queensborough Community College (QCC) in New York City is clearly concerned. A crumbling economy, budget cutbacks, and spiking enrollment have conspired to create the perfect…

The New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED) and higher education institutions (HEIs) have set long-term statewide goals to increase 4-year graduation rates, improve transfer and articulation, and improve remedial education outcomes. HED is pursuing these goals through the following initiatives: (1) Statewide common course numbering and…

This Accountability Report shows the status and progression of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) from one year to the next. The Executive Summary is divided into the following sections: (1) Dashboard; (2) Key Achievements; and (3) Narrative. Data tables on FAMU's financial resources, personnel, enrollment, undergraduate…

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) has been a powerful engine of prosperity in the US since World War II. Currently, American students' performances and enthusiasm in STEM education are inadequate for the US to maintain its leadership in STEM professions unless the government takes more actions to motivate a new generation of…

There has been renewed interest in regional cooperation since the economic downturn began in late 2007. In 2012, 14 of 15 Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) states are facing dramatic cuts in their budgets, and economists are cautious about predicting exactly when the economy might begin to improve. Fortunately, the…

In the light of the forthcoming policy shift to full-cost fees for English undergraduates, this study examines the impact of fee changes on how students weigh up their university choices. Conjoint analysis is used to examine the importance that students attach to various attributes of a university. It also explores differences across subsections…

The survey on hot topics was added in 2007 to the annual survey of state directors of community colleges conducted by the University of Alabama Education Policy Center. The survey data provided an opportunity for examining the personal attitudes toward the hot topics and the associations between these attitudes and state contexts. This study finds…

This paper develops a simple static model of an imperfectly competitive university operating under government-imposed constraints on the ability to raise tuition fees and increase enrollments. The model has particular applicability to Canadian universities. Assuming an average cost pricing rule, rules for adequate government subsidies (operating…

From the halls of Congress to the kitchen tables of American families, that long-simmering complaint--Why does college cost so much?--is getting louder and more urgent. As a slew of recent reports, public forums, and growing media interest suggest, the rising cost of college looms larger and larger as a personal and national concern. In this…

According to this year's National Survey of Student Engagement, attending more than one college is increasingly common, and transfer students tend to be disconnected from and overlooked on their new campuses. More than 40 percent of seniors who responded to the survey had started at different institutions, according to the report. Compared with…