Higher education focuses on “first-year retention” (measured from fall to fall) as the key metric indicating whether students are on a path toward their degree. This piece explores “second- to third- year retention,” tracking students who did enroll during their second year (and therefore are “retained” in official metrics) and ...
This first brief in a series about income share agreements looks at the potential of ISAs to serve low-income undergraduate students by examining the underwriting criteria used to select ISA recipients, estimating the size of the ISA market given its current structure and funding providers, and estimating the number of ...
As competency-based education (CBE) grows in prominence in higher education, leaders of CBE programs will be asked to demonstrate how students in those programs “stack up” against students in traditional non-CBE programs across an array of outcomes, from learning to time-to-degree and affordability. This brief outlines seven considerations for CBE ...
The limited available research suggests that students with a disability are less likely to enroll in and complete college than students without a disability; however, this research draws primarily on surveys with voluntary responses and often with a small sample size. This study offers new evidence to inform policies and ...
Colleges and universities are relying heavily on contingent faculty to increase flexibility and reduce costs, yet little is known about whether such savings actually result in lower overall costs or if the money saved on instruction is being spent in other areas. This brief documents the financial trade-offs being made ...
A data brief from the Delta Cost Project at AIR focuses on financial struggles of colleges and universities two years after the onset of the Great Recession. Among other findings, the data show that among nonprofit colleges and universities, community colleges suffered the greatest financial hardships of the decade. ...
In this blog post, Matthew Soldner argues that, as Congress works on reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the need for far better research and access to federal student aid data should be high on its agenda.
Researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders are increasingly aware of the powerful potential for summertime experiences and the need to design, implement, and continuously improve summertime experiences for all.
In this blog post, Mark Schneider addresses the dilemma prospective college students face when the school of their choice does not offer a tuition guarantee, and gives advice about where to find the necessary data.
The growth of the postsecondary competency-based education (CBE) ecosystem is contingent on CBE programs demonstrating that they fulfill core value propositions for students, including improving access, success, quality, and affordability. To support program leaders and researchers in building evidence about student outcomes in CBE programs, AIR and the Institute for ...