what we do

The Project on Student Debt

The Project on Student Debt works to reduce the burden of student debt, and to increase public understanding of rising student debt and the implications for our families, economy, and society.

Keeping California's Promise

California’s Master Plan for higher education guarantees a place in college for every eligible student. TICAS seeks to maximize the effectiveness of this promise by ensuring students have the financial aid and student services they need to succeed, particularly at California’s community colleges.

Simplifying the FAFSA

To help more students get the aid they are eligible for, TICAS works to simplify the aid application process and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

College InSight

College InSight is a unique web site for higher education data and research. The site is a valuable resource for anyone interested in college affordability, student debt, economic and racial diversity, student success, and other important issues in higher education.

Special Topics

Resources, publications and links on specific topics including:

recent products

Of Metrics and Markets: Measuring Post-College Employment Success

New TICAS report details existing requirements that govern the calculation and provision of post-college employment metrics, documents weaknesses in existing data, and recommends federal and state policy changes to support comparable, accurate, accessible information for measuring post-college employment outcomes.

Read the report
Designing Financial Aid for California's Future

In a volume edited by The Institute for College Access & Success, researchers explore in detail ways that California’s policymakers might consider changing the design and delivery of state financial aid to create a more affordable, equitable path to and through California’s public higher education system.

Read the report
The Self-Defeating Consequences of Student Loan Default

New TICAS brief explores how the punitive consequences of defaulting on student debt can perversely make it harder for struggling borrowers to return to school and regain their financial footing, even though graduating from college will make it easier to repay their loans. The brief includes recommendations for how policymakers and colleges can help borrowers better prevent and get out of default.

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Student Debt and the Class of 2017

New data show that the average student debt for college graduates continues to climb but at a slower pace, according to a report released by the Institute for College Access & Success. Nationally, about two in three (65 percent) college seniors who graduated from public and private nonprofit colleges in 2017 had student loan debt. These borrowers owed an average of $28,650, 1 percent higher than the 2016 average.

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Going the Distance: Consumer Protection for Students Who Attend College Online

Three million Americans now go to college entirely online, including 1.3 million enrolled at a school online in a state other than where they live. This represents an important new choice for students, but also a new challenge for states seeking to ensure the quality of the education provided to residents. This report outlines improvements to federal rules and ways states can collaborate to expand college opportunity without putting students at risk of unmanageable debt from poor-quality online colleges.

Read the report
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