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The Policy, Planning, and Innovation Division in OPE released the 2023 College Affordability and Transparency report in March
The Department recently released the 2023 College Affordability and Transparency Report. The findings in the report are based on the analysis of data submitted by higher education institutions on the 2021 College Affordability and Transparency Explanation Form. The report attributes student services, instruction, institutional support, and academic support as the most common areas experiencing cost increases, thereby leading to an increase in college costs. Staff additions, changes in reporting methodologies, increased enrollment, salary and benefits expenses, new program additions, and technology or infrastructure updates are factors that may further drive cost increases.
Approximately 79% of institutions with significant cost increases indicated exclusive control over student charges. Some reasons institutions reported as factors leading to the increase in their tuition and fees included changes in the largest program offered, increased credit hours for full-time tuition calculation, decreases in state appropriations, and overall expense increases. Reasons for net price increases also included methodology-related issues, cost-of-living adjustments, and reporting errors.
The institutions that expressed plans to reduce costs reported adjusting staffing levels, modifying healthcare and benefit packages, eliminating underperforming programs, optimizing scheduling and operations, and renegotiating contracts.
Visit the College Scorecard website to learn more.
Submission by Brian Fu, U.S. Department of Education
College Scorecard | College Scorecard (ed.gov)
The U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard is a free and easy-to-use online tool that provides students, families, educators, counselors, and other college-access professionals with the information they need to make data-driven choices and find the right college fit. College Scorecard provides information on nearly all colleges in the United States, including career and technical colleges, community colleges, four-year schools, and many of those offering graduate and professional programs.
College Scorecard users can search for and filter schools by name, location, program offerings, and other key school characteristics and view data about costs, student loan debt, graduation rates, post-enrollment earnings, campus diversity, admissions test scores, acceptance rates, and more. Users may select multiple schools to compare their data on a single page and quickly identify the school that best fits their needs.
The College Scorecard supports students on their pathway to college and future careers by increasing the transparency of information that will help them understand the benefits of a higher education program. While data is available directly through the website, the College Scorecard also makes data available for download and through an API that is open to developers.
Last year alone, over 1.5 million customers logged over two million visits to the College Scorecard website to help find the best postsecondary fit. For more information, email the help desk at scorecarddata@rti.org.
OPE Analyst, Aaron Washington (bottom left), leads discussions and public hearings for negotiated rulemaking.
This public hearing is part of the Department's negotiated rulemaking for 2023–24 to make regulatory changes for the programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. For more information, please email Margo Schroeder at Margo.Schroeder@ed.gov.
La Candeleria community member participating in a financial literacy training activity.
Submission by Katy Lane, Director of the Center for International Business Studies, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University.
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The Centers for International Business Education (CIBE), in the Department’s International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) Division, funded an outreach program for a group of undergraduate students from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School. Students embarked on the experience of a lifetime in the Panama Global Sustainable Business program. They learned valuable insights into conducting business in Latin America during this spring break trip to Panama. The journey began with visits to historic sites and several companies in Panama City. Students furthered their cultural and business understanding by partnering with a local organization to create a sustainable impact within two communities in Panama’s rural Penonomé region. The students conducted two business consultations with four diverse businesses and held six hours of financial literacy training that benefited 14 additional community members. They split into small groups to address their clients' accounting, marketing, and other business needs.
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Students conducting a business consultation with Mr. Guzman.
The students assisted Mr. Guzman, a farmer from the El Escobal community, who has a business growing organic products and uses natural water sources to hydrate his crops. The students presented him with marketing, accounting, and financial solutions, such as branding, establishing an accounting system, and monitoring year-to-year growth.
Mr. Guzman appreciated all he learned and said, "It has been a great opportunity since I was able to meet the volunteers and receive a great opportunity for my business and personal life. I hope [other communities] can also benefit from the presentations and the advice for their businesses. Thank you for your assistance."
Students with Ms. Wong after presenting their final deliverables and recommendations.
The students also worked with Ms. Wong, who owns the only kiosco (small store) in the La Candelaria community. She aims to reduce hunger by providing affordable food and encouraging other women to start businesses. The students assisting Ms. Wong discovered that her needs included help with managing inventory, general accounting, and marketing opportunities. As a result, they developed and taught her to use an income statement to keep track of what she buys and her revenue. They also made her a sign visible from the road and created a logo and flyers for her business. Ms. Wong stated, "It has been a great opportunity because [the students] provided us with excellent advice on all the topics necessary to grow our business."
Group visiting the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal.
The Panama Global Sustainable Business program is one of many impactful experiences supported by the Department’s CIBE grant through Title VI funding. The two distinct experiences on this 10-day program enabled students to learn about Panama's history and culture and its impact on the world's economy. Additionally, the opportunity for these students to visit local businesses in Panama City and engage small entrepreneurs in rural Panama provided a perspective not possible from within the U.S. These unique experiences that allow hands-on learning and engagement with locals help develop our future leaders and instill a global mindset and Aggie core values in Mays Business School students.
Submitted by: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester
Lalita Dahal is one of over 60 scholars and 14 University of Rochester Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program students who completed a 10-week summer research program in July, hosted by the university’s Kearns Center. Dahal spent the summer conducting hands-on research at the University of Rochester Medical Center lab. Her research focused on a rare disorder called splenic diffuse red pulp lymphoma or SDRPL. Dahal’s project focused on mapping the microscopic localization of SDRPL using immunofluorescent chemistry and immunohistochemistry to identify distinct patterns that can differentiate SDRPL from other similar disorders. Dahal said her summer experience has made a big impact and, most importantly, gave her the opportunity to engage in hands-on learning in her field of study. “Working alongside experienced mentors and faculty members has been invaluable, as it has allowed me to gain practical skills and insights that cannot be acquired solely through textbooks or lectures,” Dahal said.
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Dahal working on her research project, July 2023. Photo: Alexa Olson, University of Rochester
The McNair Program was first established at the University of Rochester in 1992. Beth Olivares, Executive Director of the Kearns Center and Dean for Diversity in arts, sciences, and engineering, said it is a program that is unique. “Students from low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented minority backgrounds have access to research experiences with faculty doing cutting-edge research at a highly competitive research institution.”
Olivares said that experiences like the one Dahal participated in give students confidence and the knowledge of how research works at the graduate level and prepare them for graduate programs upon earning their undergraduate degree. “Our students are incredibly successful, with over 75% going into doctoral programs within a couple of years of earning their undergraduate degrees (if not directly), and have diversified multiple graduate schools and the academy, as well as national research labs, NASA, the CDC, and many other industries across the globe. McNair is the model on which we have built many of our other undergraduate research programs.”
Assistant Director for college programs at the Kearns Center Melissa Raucci says the students who have taken part in the summer program, have impressed her. “This group of students is amongst the most driven, talented, and intellectually curious I have worked with. A true representation of the value and impact of our McNair program.”
Dahal and the rest of the McNair cohort showcased their research to faculty, students, and staff at the annual David T. Kearns Center Summer Research Symposium at the end of July.
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