Differentiated Pricing in Higher Education

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International For too long, North American higher education, as well as much of the world’s, has offered a one size fits all pricing structure in higher education. Just as we now understand that there needs to be differentiated instruction on our campuses whether they be online or bricks and mortar, perhaps it’s time that we … Continue reading Differentiated Pricing in Higher Education

Adding Important Transparency to Higher Education

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Happy Canada Day and Happy Independence Day everyone, In the late 1990s, I worked for the College Board and co-directed the Trends in Student Aid and Trends in College Pricing reports.  These reports, to this day, provide educators, researchers, and policymakers with a summary of how much college and university is and what available aid, … Continue reading Adding Important Transparency to Higher Education

The Postsecondary Drive to For-Profit Mentality

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International This is the opening paragraph of this morning’s article in The Chronicle of Higher Education: Texas A&M University faculty members who are alarmed by the apparent influence that a conservative think tank is having on their university urged the system’s regents on Thursday to distance themselves from a group that they fear would move … Continue reading The Postsecondary Drive to For-Profit Mentality

The Pell Grant and College Costs: An Impossible Scenario

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International There has been recent consternation on the proposed cuts to the Pell Grant program in the United States. For the uninformed, the Pell Grant is a means-tested grant program which targets low-income students. It is, to be sure, the foundation of the US student financial aid system. All other aid is applied after the … Continue reading The Pell Grant and College Costs: An Impossible Scenario

The DREAM Act and the Party of “No”

It is of better valor to stay outside of the political arguments, and I most often heed that advice. But events of last week are forcing me to reconsider said advice.

Last week, the DREAM Act was voted down in the Senate on a party-line vote. The DREAM Act allows students who are, by birth, illegal immigrants to gain access to in-state tuition and financial aid for college. As well, it allows them to fast-track for citizenship. Continue reading The DREAM Act and the Party of “No”