Costs

American colleges and universities spend billions of dollars a year from state, federal, and private sources. The following articles identify ways to cut costs and ensure that public investment in higher education provides value to students, taxpayers, and society.


A Good Start on Higher-Ed Lending

Last month, a Republican Congress and President Trump achieved, if that is the word, a massive budget-reconciliation bill. As is more and more common, a Congress averse to accountability for…


The Business of Selling Dreams

The point of a college degree is to gain essential skills and knowledge that support your career. In other words, it is to get a job in a field you’re…




Are Gen Z’s Degrees a “Waste”?

For decades, the attainment of a four-year degree has been considered an essential aspect of the American experience. Every year, mere months after completing high school, millions of young graduates…


Foreign Funding’s Questionable Odor

“Money doesn’t stink.” This proverb—pecunia non olet in the original Latin—is associated with the Roman emperor Vespasian, in justification of his decision to use public toilets to generate revenue. When…


How to Combat Financial-Aid Fraud

Every year, postsecondary institutions of all kinds distribute hundreds of billions of dollars in student financial aid across the United States—not to mention the tens of billions in aid allocated…


Understanding In-State Tuition

When determining tuition costs, public colleges and universities typically distinguish between in-state and out-of-state students, with in-state tuition set at a far lower rate than out-of-state tuition. In North Carolina,…