Supporting Student Success: Case Studies in Making College More Affordable
Find out what steps higher ed leaders & policymakers are taking to ease tuition costs for students.
Paying for college consistently ranks as a top concern for students considering stopping out or otherwise at risk of leaving their institution without a credential. And while tuition and fees are often the biggest financial responsibilities students face, there’s also living expenses, books, supplies, activities and more. These expenditures add up, especially as college students experience higher levels of food and housing insecurity than the general population.
In this live webcast, Inside Higher Ed’s Colleen Flaherty and Ashley Mowreader will explore what’s been called the college affordability crisis and share the steps—big and small—that institutions, policymakers and other leaders are taking to ease the financial burden on students.
Key topics include:
- The data on college costs, its impact on student success and the ongoing debate surrounding the value of a college degree
- Disparities in financial security levels among students, based on race, ethnicity and gender
- Initiatives around the country that have addressed housing insecurity among their students and lessons learned from these efforts
- The extent to which colleges are using financial aid data to help their students meet basic needs
- An overview of state-level efforts to offer free college in Massachusetts and Colorado
- The potential for AI to reduce higher education costs in ways that benefit students
To get the most out of the webcast, download and explore the booklet.
Additional Resources:
- Inside Higher Ed article, “Stress, Cost of Higher Ed Remain Greatest Threats to Student Persistence”
- NCAN study on affordability, “The Growing Gap: Public Higher Education’s Lack of Affordability for Pell Grant Recipients”
- Inside Higher Ed article, “Students Link Their Success to Affordability”
- The Urban Institute project, “Understanding College Affordability: How Students, Institutions and the Public Pay for Higher Education”
- ACCT Now perspectives, “The Hidden Costs of Higher Education”
- Trellis Company report, “Student Financial Wellness Survey: Fall 2022 Semester Results”
- Inside Higher Ed article, “Public Opinion on Value of Higher Ed Remains Mixed”
- Inside Higher Ed article, “Students’ Fresh Thoughts on Value and Affordability”
- The National Center for Education Statistics data, “Tuition Costs of Colleges and Universities”
- College Board’s report, “Trends in College Pricing”
- The Brookings Institution analysis, “Ignore the Sticker Price: How Have College Prices Really Changed?”
- NCAN report, “In 2023, High School Seniors Left Over $4 Billion on the Table in Pell Grants”
- Straighterline report, "Students’ Perception of the Value of a Degree Drops 50% After Stopping Out"
Further Reading on Student Success:
