The Higher Education team works toward building an affordable and high-quality higher education system that supports economic mobility and racial equity.
A student at Rutgers University attends the 250th anniversary commencement ceremony on May 15, 2016, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Getty/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
What We're Doing
Improving equity
Our team explores how to reform a higher education system that is failing to adequately serve students of color and other overlooked populations, including adults, student parents, part-time students, veterans, and individuals impacted by the justice system.
Ensuring college is affordable for all students
We call for changes to make college affordable for current and future students and their families. We also work to lift the burden of student debt and fix a troubled student loan repayment system for current and future borrowers.
Ensuring quality and protecting students and taxpayers
We advocate for a system where all colleges and programs offer a path to economic security and make sure their students reach the finish line. We also seek to hold education providers, accreditors, loan servicers, and other actors accountable for their service to students and borrowers.
As the U.S. Department of Education prepares to publish its final gainful employment rule, learn more about the history of this key consumer safeguard meant to eliminate the worst actors before multitudes of students fall prey to poor practices.
An Overlooked Financial Aid Tool Can Help More Adults Reach College
The Ability to Benefit provision for federal financial aid is underutilized but has great potential to increase educational attainment among adults without high school diplomas.
Funding for Federal Student Aid: A Defining Moment for Higher Education Programs
Jared C. Bass, senior director for Higher Education at the Center for American Progress, testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on the importance of funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid.
CAP’s Comment on the Request for Information Regarding Public Transparency on the Low-Financial-Value Postsecondary Programs List
In a comment letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, Madison Weiss provides recommendations on the low-financial-value postsecondary programs list.
CAP’s Comment on the Income-Driven Repayment Regulation
In a comment letter submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, Bradley D. Custer discusses income-driven repayment regulation and the need for a student loan repayment system with a functional safety net.
At Navajo Technical University, a World-Class Laboratory Is Building Native American Manufacturing Capacity
In the third and final installment in a series on Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), the Center for American Progress and American Indian College Fund examine how a Tribal university in New Mexico is creating engineering and advanced manufacturing career opportunities on the rural Navajo Nation.
A Minnesota Tribal College Teaches Law Enforcement in Effort To Put More Native Americans ‘Behind the Badge’
In the second installment in a three-part series on Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), the Center for American Progress and American Indian College Fund look at Leech Lake Tribal College’s law enforcement degree program and the college’s work on cultural revitalization and basic needs insecurity.
3 Ways the Biden Administration Protected Students and Borrowers in 2022
The U.S. Department of Education’s final rules on borrower defense to repayment, closed school discharge, and false certification will help protect students and taxpayers from predatory institutions.
CAP’s Comment on Accessing President Biden’s Debt Relief Plan and the Education Department’s Fresh Start Initiative
This coalition letter, led by the Center for American Progress, asks the U.S. Department of Education to work closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to distribute information about student loan debt relief to incarcerated student loan borrowers.
For Native Americans, Tribal Colleges Tackle the ‘Present-Day Work of Our Ancestors’
In the first installment in a series on Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), the Center for American Progress and American Indian College Fund explore the essential role TCUs play in their communities and why investing in them should be a priority for policymakers.
The Supreme Court Censoring History and Race Would Be a Mistake
Race-conscious remedies, such as voting rights protections and affirmative action in college admissions, are supported by the Constitution, are a part of American history, and are essential to equal opportunity.
