As a form of outsourcing in higher education, online program management (OPM) is not remarkable. Universities regularly, and with little fanfare, outsource many functions that used to be done in-house. Bookstores, dining halls, housing facilities, parking garages, and housekeeping are all part of the outsourcing model in American higher education. This brief is intended to…

This year, more people than ever before are eligible for the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) –including college students age 18+ without dependents. This tax credit can give you back money, up to $1,502, to spend however you want – towards groceries, rent, a car, or more. All you need to do is file…

This year, more people than ever before are eligible for the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) – including> college students age 18+ without dependents. This tax credit gives students back money, up to $1,502, to spend however they want – towards groceries, rent, a car, or more. All they need to do is file…

Students facing basic needs insecurities are significantly less likely to leave college without completing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Today’s students show a great deal of resilience in the face of adversity—but succeeding in an academic environment is extremely difficult without access to basic needs, like food and shelter. The federal government has various programs…

Every year, more than one million students drop out—70 percent do so because of financial insecurity, which is disproportionately felt by low-income students. That’s where means-tested benefit programs and income supports can help. Means-tested federal and state programs help millions of low-income Americans access housing, food, health care, child care, and more. But the myriad…

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a federal provision that requires institutions to establish criteria a student must meet in order to remain eligible for federal student aid, such as Pell Grants and student loans. Typically, to meet SAP requirements, students must meet a minimum grade point average (GPA), or its equivalent, and complete a minimum…

Online program management (OPM) entities are service providers that work through contracts with colleges and universities to take academic programs online. While most OPMs are for-profit, some are nonprofit. Typically, colleges and universities that utilize OPMs seek to expand access to college courses that they cannot financially or practically offer via a traditional physical environment,…