ONLY ONE DAY LEFT – Tell Congress to Protect Students Against Fraud
The House of Representatives is voting TOMORROW on rules protecting students from fraud and other illegal conduct by their colleges, and they still need to hear from YOU!
Hundreds of you have already urged your Representative to strengthen protections for students who have been cheated by their school, and there’s still time to make sure your voice is heard. Submit your comment now – it takes less than a minute.
Higher Education in the Proposed California Budget for 2020-21
Prioritizing higher education on the campaign trail, California Governor Gavin Newsom has worked to deliver in his first year in office with efforts that included the largest-ever increase in the number of competitive Cal Grants and strengthening protections for students at for-profit colleges in the state.
As TICAS executive vice president Debbie Cochrane told EdSource: “much of what [Newsom] did was consistent with the way he campaigned. Obviously, you don’t fulfill all the campaign promises in one year. But very important progress was made on critical, critical pieces.”
Following the release of Governor Newsom’s proposed budget for 2020-21 last Friday, Cochrane weighed in on higher education proposals included in the budget. Read more here.
The Evolution of the For-Profit College Industry: New Challenges for Oversight
In recent years, enrollment at for-profit colleges has fallen steeply due to sustained economic growth, the poor reputation of the industry as a result of increasing awareness of documented abuses, and stronger accountability policies that were put in place during the Obama Administration. However, after years of enrollment declines, for-profit colleges may be poised for a rebound.
A new TICAS report describes some important ways the industry is changing, which include the growth of online education, the efforts of for-profit colleges to convert to non-profit status, and the increased use of online program managers (OPMs) by public and non-profit colleges to operate their online programs.
Protecting the Cohort Default Rate from Forbearance Abuse
The cohort default rate (CDR) is the federal government’s most longstanding student debt outcome measure, tracking how often students experience the single most devastating student loan repayment outcome: default. By tying high default rates to schools’ eligibility for federal financial aid, the CDR has successfully driven down student loan default. However, evasion of CDR accountability through abuse of forbearance options harms borrowers and undermines the meaningfulness of the CDR metric.
Our latest fact sheet details how some colleges may evade accountability by exploiting forbearance options and includes recommendations on how to protect the CDR from forbearance abuse.
Read the fact sheet
Read the feature by NASFAA
SAVE THE DATE: College Costs & Debt in the 2020 Elections
Join TICAS, the University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy, and the UNH Campus Living Association for College Costs & Debt in the 2020 Elections, an event aimed at exploring the challenge of college affordability, how this issue is playing out on the campaign trail, and how it might be addressed by whomever is in the White House in 2021.
TICAS in the News
- Happy New Year, Higher Ed: You’ve Missed Your Completion Goal | Eric Kelderman, The Chronicle of Higher Education
“Not everything the president says has a lasting impact,” said James Kvaal, president of the Institute for College Access & Success, “but this particular vision had a resonance, and changed the way colleges and policy makers see their roles.” - 8 million student loan borrowers must do this in 2020 | Ryan Lane, Associated Press/NerdWallet
A new law addresses this issue by letting borrowers opt in to automatic recertification. James Kvaal, president of the nonprofit Institute for College Access & Success, expects this change to take months, not years, to implement. “Borrowers should continue to watch for recertification requirements,” Kvaal says, “and when the opportunity comes to opt in, they should.”
