Through research on such topics as student debt, affordability, completion, and accountability, Learning Curve essays analyze how public policies shape postsecondary opportunities for students at the local, state, and federal level.
Accountability
- May 2022: How Should Federal Policymakers Hold Short-Term Credential Programs Accountable (Kathryn Blanchard)
- November 2022: Tuition-to-Earnings Limits: An Alternative to the Gainful Employment Rule for Higher Education Accountability (Jason D. Delisle, Jason Cohn)
- October 2023: How Can Policymakers Assess the Value of a Law Degree? (Tia Caldwell)
- October 2023: An Earnings Test for Master’s Degrees: Identifying Programs at Risk of Failing a Proposed Rule for Federal Loans (Jason D. Delisle, Jason Cohn)
- January 2024: Unintended Consequences of an Earnings-Based Accountability Test for Master’s Degree Programs (Cody L. Christensen)
Admissions, Enrollment, and Completion
- December 2021: The COVID-19 pandemic changed which types of colleges offered test-optional admissions (Darrell Lovell, Daniel Mallinson)
- October 2022: Trends in Enrollment Growth at Public Flagship Universities (Joydeep Roy, Jingyi Su)
- October 2023: Do Graduation Rates Improve Once Universities Become Hispanic-Serving Institutions? (Kaitlyn N. Stormes, Lizzet Rojas)
Affordability and Funding
- May 2025: How Much Would It Cost to Pay for Registered Apprentices’ College-Based Instruction? Evidence from Florida (Daniel Kuehn)
- May 2022: The Fine Print on Free College: Who Benefits from New York’s Excelsior Scholarship? (Judith Scott-Clayton, CJ Libassi, Daniel Sparks)
- July 2022: A Closer Look at College Affordability: The Link between Living Allowances and Student Debt (CJ Libassi, Zachary Mabel)
- March 2023: How Many Short-Term Training Programs Would Gain Access to Pell Grants under the New Proposal? (Jason Cohn)
- April 2023: How a Mandatory FAFSA Completion Policy in Texas Could Improve College Access (Sie Won Kim)
- March 2024: Why Do So Many Colleges Decline to Participate in a Federal Grant Program for Teachers? (Daniel Sparks)
- September 2024: Who Benefits from Colorado's New Free College Program? (Jason Cohn)
Diversity in Higher Ed
- March 2022: Analyzing the Landscape of Reentry Services for Formerly Incarcerated Californians in Higher Education (Elif Yucel)
- July 2023: Understanding Diversity within the Higher Education Faculty Pipeline (Sarah Parsons)
- January 2025: The Role of State Policy in Supporting Students Experiencing Homelessness and Former Foster Youth in Higher Education (Carrie Henderson, Katie Grissom)
Student Debt
- November 2022: Exploring the Relationship between Student Loan Forgiveness, the Pell Bonus, and Race (Bryan J. Cook, Alexandra Tilsley)
- January 2023: How Were Student Loan Borrowers Affected by the Pandemic? (Matthew Chingos, Jason Cohn)
- January 2023: Few College Students Will Repay Student Loans under the Biden Administration’s Proposal (Matthew Chingos, Jason D. Delisle, Jason Cohn)
- February 2023: As the Supreme Court Weighs Student Loan Forgiveness, Who Has Not Yet Applied? (Kristin Blagg, Elise Colin, Michael Karpman)
- June 2024: How Access to Federal Student Loans Could Change under the College Cost Reduction Act (Jason D. Delisle)
- October 2024: Who Benefits from the SAVE Plan's Student Loan Interest Waiver? (Jason D. Delisle, Jason Cohn)
