Federal Policy Landscape

Bryan Cook

Center for Policy Analysis

American Council on Education

• Over 1,800 college and university members (representing all sectors).

• ACE members represent about 80 percent of students enrolled

Who is ACE?

ACE Mission

ACE, the major coordinating body for all of the nation's higher education institutions, seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.

• ACE role is to coordinate and lead

• Not everyone wants to be coordinated or led

ACE Representation

  Public Private

 

Two-year

 

Four-year

 

UniversityAAU

AASCU

AACC

NAICU

APLU

UNCFNAFEO

HACU

CCCU

ACCU AJCU

AGB

ACEPresidential Associations

Current Policy Environment

Policy Concerns for Higher Education

• Rising Cost

Price of College

Public, 2-yr

Public, 4-yr

Private, 4-yr

Health insurance

Median Income

New Car

Prescription Drugs

Medical Care

Housing-10%

10%

30%

50%

70%

90%

99-00 '01-'02 '03-'04 '05-'06 '07-'08 '09-'10

Policy Concerns for Higher Education

• Rising Cost

• Student outcomes

Student Outcomes

• Graduation/completion Rates

• Academically Adrift– Modest gain in critical thinking– Students don’t work hard

• Employment Rates

Policy Concerns for Higher Education

• Rising Cost

• Student outcomes

• Accountability/accreditation

Productivity

“We’re conducting a productivity study.”

?

Federal Efforts to Improve Postsecondary Education

• Increased reporting and disclosures

• College Affordability and Transparency Center

• Accreditation

• Gainful employment

Goal

“…While a majority of career colleges play a vital role in training our workforce to be globally competitive, some bad actors are saddling students with debt they cannot afford in exchange for degrees and certificates they cannot use.”

US Secretary of Education

Arne Duncan

In general, at a traditional institution, a gainful

employment program is a non-degree certificate program

of at least one year.

What is a Gainful Employment Program?

What is a Gainful Employment Program?

Is the program a degree

program?

Is the program at least one

academic year in length?

Stop, not a GE program. Also

excludes certificates

embedded in a degree

program.

No Yes

What is a Gainful Employment Program?

Is the program a degree

program?

Is the program at least one

academic year in length?

Stop, not a GE program. Also

excludes certificates

embedded in a degree

program.

No Yes

What is a Gainful Employment Program?

Is the program at least one

academic year in length?

Stop, not a GE program.

(Exceptions for certain

vocational education programs.)

Does the program lead to a certificate or

other non-degree

credential awarded by institution?

No Yes

What is a Gainful Employment Program?

Is the program at least one

academic year in length?

Stop, not a GE program.

(Exceptions for certain

vocational education programs.)

Does the program lead to a certificate or

other non-degree

credential awarded by institution?

No Yes

What is a Gainful Employment Program?

Does the program lead to a certificate or

non-degree credential

awarded by institution?

Stop, not a GE program.

Is the program at least two

years in length and fully

transferable to a bachelor’s degree?

No Yes

What is a Gainful Employment Program?

Does the program lead to a certificate or

non-degree credential

awarded by institution?

Stop, not a GE program.

Is the program at least two

years in length and fully

transferable to a bachelor’s degree?

No Yes

What is a Gainful Employment Program

Is the program at least two

years in length and fully

transferable to a bachelor’s degree?

Program is a GE program Stop, not a GE

program.

No Yes

Gainful Employment Consumer Disclosures

Disclosures by program on website by July 1, 2011

– Occupations

– Total program costs

– On-time completion rates

– Job placements

– Median loan debt

Gainful Employment Data

Data reported to ED by October 1, 2011

– Student identifier information (SSN, DOB, name)

– Program identifier information (OPEID, CIP)

– Private loan borrowing

– Institutional loans

– Enrollment information

Gainful Employment

Three Tests

Debt measures

– Repayment rate at least 35%

– Student debt payment less than 12 percent of graduate’s total income

– Student debt payment less than 30 percent of a graduate’s discretionary income

Three Tests

Consequences

• Fail one year = additional disclosures

• Fail two years = warnings to students

• Fail three years in four = loss of Title IV eligibility

Other things to keep and eye on…

• Veteran and service member data

• Report on History of IPEDS

Information Required to Be Disclosed Under the Higher Education Act of 1965: Suggestions for Dissemination

Why This Report?

• Compliance

• Needle in a haystack

• ESL– Graduation rates = Students Right to Know– Federal Disclosures

• List of Disclosures

Recommendations?

• Compliance and communication

• Single webpage to access information

• “3 Click” maximum

Why Follow these Recommendations?

• Student Friendly

• Avoid more disclosures

Changing Use of IPEDS

Questions