Category: College Affordability

2022, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Politics, Research/Policy

Loan Cancellation or Pension Bailout? A Conundrum for the Pundits

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist In August 2022, the Biden Administration dropped a student loan cancellation program on the country. At a cost of over $400 million, the program was to cancel $10,000 of student loan debt from anyone with an income of under $125,000/year ($250k if married filing jointly). Another $10,000 for those who received a Pell Grant, which is … Continue reading Loan Cancellation or Pension Bailout? A Conundrum for the Pundits

Educational Policy InstituteLeave a comment
2022, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Politics, Research/Policy

Background Data on Student Debt in America

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Since I wrote my piece on the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Reduction Plan last week, there has been a lot of information and fallout by colleagues and friends on the issue. Most people I know are on the positive side of the policy, saying that this is helpful for a lot of people who are … Continue reading Background Data on Student Debt in America

Educational Policy InstituteLeave a comment
2022, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Politics, Research/Policy

The Problem(s) with Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Earlier today, the Biden Administration unleashed the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan (SLDRP?), a new series of policies aimed at reducing student loan burden for millions of current and past students across the country. My organization and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of others around the country have been diligently advocating for improvements to college access … Continue reading The Problem(s) with Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

Educational Policy Institute1 Comment
2021, admissions, College Access, College Affordability, Research/Policy, Retention, Student Success

Does Money Trump Academics? No.

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist I received an email from EAB this morning that proclaimed “Financial pressure is the top reason that students leave college,” complete with a link to how technology can help. Then I paused. I’m not going to say that EAB is wrong on this. Financial pressures, let alone ability to pay, are significant barriers to postsecondary access … Continue reading Does Money Trump Academics? No.

Educational Policy Institute1 Comment
2021, College Access, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Research/Policy

Equating an Education with the Cost of an Automobile

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Today’s InsideHigherEd.com article, “Promoting Financial Transparency for Students,” focused on new legislation in Congress to make the cost of higher education more transparent and simpler to understand. The article quoted Laura Keane of uAspire, a non-profit, saying that “When you buy a car, you walk up to a car and you see a window sticker that … Continue reading Equating an Education with the Cost of an Automobile

Educational Policy Institute1 Comment