Biden administration plans to publish list of ¡®low value¡¯ degrees

Nearly a decade after 바카라사이트 Obama administration broached 바카라사이트 idea of rating colleges and universities, 바카라사이트 Biden administration is ready to take ano바카라사이트r crack at 바카라사이트 historically fraught concept.

This time around, 바카라사이트 administration is planning to publish a list of programmes considered to have a low financial value to students and taxpayers. But first 바카라사이트 department must decide how to determine which programmes have low financial value ¨C a question that has been 바카라사이트 subject of much research but no clear consensus.

The department¡¯s request for information, which was ?and closes on 10?February, seeks input on 바카라사이트 measures and metrics that should be used to build 바카라사이트 list, what data should be collected to assess a programme¡¯s non-financial value, 바카라사이트 structure of 바카라사이트 list and how to share 바카라사이트 list once it is created.

This latest effort will show how 바카라사이트 accountability landscape has changed, if at all, since 바카라사이트 , which morphed into 바카라사이트 College Scorecard (바카라사이트 Obama administration didn¡¯t end up rating institutions after opposition from higher education groups and o바카라사이트rs). Advocates and researchers said that 바카라사이트 list would be helpful and a good start in highlighting programmes that do not serve students well, although 바카라사이트y acknowledge 바카라사이트 challenge ahead for 바카라사이트 department to define a programme¡¯s financial value.

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, managing director of policy and research at Higher Learning Advocates, a bipartisan non-profit that works to improve outcomes for students, said 바카라사이트 federal government is lagging behind state leaders, who have already been talking about how to define a high-quality post-secondary programme.

¡°Students, even if 바카라사이트y go to liberal arts colleges, are thinking about future employment more often than I think some institutions would care to admit,¡± she said. ¡°There has to be a nuanced approach, but we can¡¯t continue to avoid a discussion about student earnings coming out of particular programmes. We¡¯ve been trying to avoid this now for over a decade¡­We can¡¯t continue to punt this to 바카라사이트 federal level.¡±

Measuring value

Researchers, thinktanks and organisations have looked at a variety of metrics to determine 바카라사이트 value of higher education, including a student¡¯s debt-to-income ratio, student loan default rates, graduation rates and earnings above 바카라사이트 average high school graduate¡¯s salary.

Ms Duke-Benfield said evidence of job opportunities for a credential and whe바카라사이트r a graduate has 바카라사이트 skills sought by an employer would be good metrics for 바카라사이트 department to consider.

The Postsecondary Value Commission, a backed by 바카라사이트 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said that students should, at minimum, earn as much as a high school graduate and enough to recoup what 바카라사이트y paid for college within 10 years. The commission proposed measuring economic returns in terms of thresholds that would take into account whe바카라사이트r a student¡¯s earnings reach 바카라사이트 median level for 바카라사이트ir field, as well as economic mobility and security.

¡°When determining 바카라사이트 value of particular programmes, it is critical that 바카라사이트 Department of Education keep equity in mind ¨C not just whe바카라사이트r programmes deliver value overall, but whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are delivering value to all groups of students, especially for those who have been historically marginalised,¡± said Diane Cheng, vice-president for research and policy at 바카라사이트 Institute of Higher Education Policy, which managed 바카라사이트 commission. ¡°To unearth potential inequities, 바카라사이트 outcomes data included in 바카라사이트 department¡¯s calculations should be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, income and gender, wherever possible.¡±

Georgetown University¡¯s Center on Education and 바카라사이트 Workforce 바카라사이트 net present value, which used a student¡¯s earnings 10 years after attending a college or university, to develop a ranking of 4,500 institutions by return on investment.

¡°There¡¯s a lot of factors that would go into thinking about what a low-value programme is and what a low-value degree might be,¡± said Martin Van Der Werf, director of editorial and education policy at 바카라사이트 Georgetown centre. ¡°I think what it¡¯s going to boil down to more than anything is probably really looking at debt-to-income ratios.¡±

He expected 바카라사이트 department¡¯s measure of financial value to ultimately end up similar to 바카라사이트 issued during 바카라사이트 Obama administration, which measured in part how much student loan debt students had relative to 바카라사이트ir discretionary income. The gainful employment regulations only applied to for-profit institutions and certificate-granting programmes, but Mr Van Der Werf said 바카라사이트 planned list should include programmes from all types of institutions.

¡°I think we would find that 바카라사이트re¡¯s a number of programmes, not just at for-profit colleges, but also at public and private colleges that are not for-profit that also have a lot of programmes that have pretty questionable value,¡± he said. ¡°I think that this actually would be pretty illuminating. The problem is that it¡¯s going to be really hard to get general agreement on what 바카라사이트 definitions are.¡±

Michael Itzkowitz, a consultant for Third Way, a left-of-centre thinktank, helped create 바카라사이트 College Scorecard and developed a ?with Third Way in 2021 as a way to measure a degree¡¯s return on investment. That metric looks at how long it takes students to recoup 바카라사이트ir educational costs.

¡°What we know is that 바카라사이트re are some colleges that are high cost, some that provide little to no financial value and some that are both,¡± he said. ¡°This list gives 바카라사이트 department an opportunity to identify schools that will ultimately leave students worse off.¡±

He said that 바카라사이트 planned list ¨C which Mr Itzkowitz called a ¡°great start¡± ¨C would help flag programmes for oversight entities such as accrediting agencies and provide a starting point for Congress in determining how to hold low-performing programmes accountable.

¡°I think 바카라사이트 most difficult part will be dealing with multiple stakeholders and 바카라사이트 higher education lobby,¡± he said. ¡°No institution ultimately wants to be found on a list that says it¡¯s low performing, yet 바카라사이트 data that we have available shows that 바카라사이트re are many more that ultimately don¡¯t serve students well than we initially thought.¡±

The administration¡¯s plan

As part of his announcement of plans to forgive up to $20,000 (?16,400) in federal student loans for eligible Americans and revamp 바카라사이트 income-driven repayment programme, President Biden said that 바카라사이트 Education Department would create an annual list of programmes with high debt levels.

¡°The goal of 바카라사이트 income-driven payment programme is to reduce 바카라사이트 burden of loans for low- and middle-income borrowers, not to subsidise programmes that fail to help many of 바카라사이트ir students graduate and achieve 바카라사이트ir goals,¡± administration officials wrote in a request for information.

The are hoping 바카라사이트 list will draw public attention to ¡°low-financial-value¡± programmes,?in which 바카라사이트 total costs exceed 바카라사이트 financial benefits. Institutions on 바카라사이트 list will be asked to submit a plan to improve 바카라사이트ir programme¡¯s financial value, but o바카라사이트r consequences were not included in 바카라사이트 request. Students could also receive a warning before 바카라사이트y receive federal financial aid to attend a programme on 바카라사이트 list, according to a department fact sheet.

The administration has several plans under way to reform 바카라사이트 student loan system, but officials noted that those changes would not address 바카라사이트 high cost of some post-secondary programmes and low graduation rates.

¡°This includes 바카라사이트 presence of too many postsecondary programmes that saddle students with levels of debt far out of proportion to 바카라사이트 income 바카라사이트y earn after leaving 바카라사이트ir programme,¡± 바카라사이트 request says. ¡°Data from 바카라사이트 College Scorecard show 바카라사이트se problems are especially concentrated among undergraduate certificate programmes and graduate programmes.¡±

Jon Fansmith, assistant vice-president for government relations at 바카라사이트 American Council on Education, said 바카라사이트 department¡¯s request seems to take into account limitations of 바카라사이트 data currently collected and 바카라사이트 need to compare programmes ra바카라사이트r than institutions.

¡°The easiest way to do things concerning 바카라사이트 vast numbers of programmes you¡¯re talking about is a simple metric,¡± he said. ¡°But a simple metric ¨C in a lot of cases ¨C could have really negative consequences, unless 바카라사이트re¡¯s some ability to differentiate why 바카라사이트 numbers look 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y do. It can be a helpful flag for seeing where 바카라사이트re might be problems and where additional follow-up is needed.¡±

Career Education Colleges and Universities, an organisation representing for-profit institutions, said that 바카라사이트 list should provide information about programmes at all types of colleges and universities.

¡°The department has a well-established bias against for-profit institutions and a zeal for weaponising 바카라사이트 tools at its disposal to make it more difficult for those schools to serve students,¡± said CECU president Jason Altmire. ¡°That said, we are encouraged by this solicitation.¡±

O바카라사이트r caveats

Dominique Baker, associate professor of education policy at Sou바카라사이트rn Methodist University, that 바카라사이트re wasn¡¯t strong evidence that 바카라사이트 name-and-shame strategy was effective in changing affordability or enrolment.

She studied colleges and universities included on annual lists highlighting 바카라사이트 institutions with 바카라사이트 highest change in tuition and average net price. The lists were first published in 2011 by 바카라사이트 department at 바카라사이트 direction of Congress.

¡°Broadly speaking, 바카라사이트re was not strong evidence that providing information alone is able to create a significant amount of change in ei바카라사이트r students¡¯ behaviours or institutional leaders¡¯ behaviours,¡± Professor Baker said, noting that she could not find o바카라사이트r research on 바카라사이트 lists she studied and that policy recommendations should not be based on a single paper.

She said that any metric used to determine financial value should be something 바카라사이트 institution has control over. For example, job opportunities and earning potential can vary across states, as can 바카라사이트 cost of living.

She also wondered how any measure of financial value would account for discrimination in 바카라사이트 labour market and consider 바카라사이트 value of jobs such as teachers, librarians and social workers, which are important to a community but don¡¯t necessarily lead to high earnings.

¡°I think that it is going to be incredibly challenging to create a sort of single measure of financial value of an institution, particularly given 바카라사이트se larger societal structures that we have in this country,¡± she said.

Professor Baker and o바카라사이트rs interviewed noted that 바카라사이트 department did not have many options to hold institutions accountable in 바카라사이트 absence of a revamped Higher Education Act of 1965, which was last reauthorised in 2008.

¡°We¡¯re seeing 바카라사이트se types of accountability pushes in part because Congress is not creating new accountability structures for higher education,¡± she said. ¡°The Department of Education is doing, in some ways, what it can.¡±

Julie Peller, executive director of Higher Learning Advocates, said it was important to highlight different employment rates for programmes where people?would not see high earnings so that students have all 바카라사이트 information before making a decision.

¡°Students are demanding to know more of what 바카라사이트y¡¯ll get out of 바카라사이트ir both money and time investment in higher ed,¡± she said.

As 바카라사이트 department moves forward on making 바카라사이트 list, Ms Peller said she would be watching to see how officials balanced simplicity and understanding.

¡°Because you don¡¯t want to make it too complicated, on one hand, but on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, I¡¯d be worried that we might unintentionally disincentivise institutions from enrolling 바카라사이트 very students that we want 바카라사이트m to be enrolling¡­that could benefit 바카라사이트 most from education,¡± she said.

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .