FAQ: Distance Education Accreditation and COVID-19 Waivers

Today’s students—37 percent of whom are over the age of 25, a quarter of whom are parents, and 60 percent who work—have been increasingly juggling school with home and work responsibilities over the past decade. As such, students before the pandemic had been turning to online education at increasing rates for flexibility. Now, due to…

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Higher Education Policy & Regulatory Transition Recommendations

WASHINGTON (October 6, 2020) — Higher Learning Advocates provided recommendations to advance higher education policy and regulations in key areas that will empower our nation’s students to obtain the skills they need to gain employment and succeed in the 21st century, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Download the memorandum here.

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Outcomes-Based Accountability: Holding Institutions Accountable for Successful Student Loan Repayment

Today’s students’ loan debt totals over $1.5 trillion, and more than 1 million students default on loans each year. With this astronomical amount of student loan debt that continues to rise, students should be assured that the institutions they’re attending are providing high-quality student outcomes. Unfortunately, that is not what’s happening. Outcomes-Based Accountability: Holding Institutions…

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101: Federal Accountability in Higher Education

The 101: Federal Accountability in Higher Education explains significant accountability measurement requirements that institutions of higher education must meet to gain access to federal student aid programs. Today’s students deserve to attend institutions that offer high-quality programs and credentials that lead to fulfilling careers and earnings. Download our 101: Federal Accountability in Higher Education to…

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101: Negotiated Rulemaking

A Quirk of Federal Higher Education Policy: Negotiated Rulemaking The Higher Education Act (HEA) requires the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to use a process called “negotiated rulemaking” in order to make any changes to programs authorized under HEA’s Title IV, the section that houses federal financial aid programs and affects more than $130 billion…

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Issue Brief: Multiple Pathways & Quality Assurance

The world of credentials is much broader than a 2- or 4- year degree. One in four Americans has a non-degree credential or certificate. We invest around $150 billion in traditional higher education, but many promising new entrants, even those showing promising results, still can’t participate in federal student aid programs. Our new issue brief outlines…

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Exploring Key Questions: Program-Level Repayment for Higher Education Accountability

A growing number of advocates and policy experts believe that institutions of higher education should be held accountable for repayment rates based on their specific program of study within the institution. To take a deeper look at how program-level repayment might be used as a tool for greater accountability and transparency, Higher Learning Advocates commissioned this…

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Public Comment on Quality and Innovation at U.S. Department of Education Hearing

Bipartisan advocacy group urges the Department of Education to offer regulatory changes “through the lens of putting student outcomes first” WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 6, 2018) — Emily Bouck, Policy and Advocacy Director at Higher Learning Advocates, testified at a hearing held by the U.S. Department of Education today as it considers a negotiated rulemaking process that…

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Higher Learning Advocates Submits Comments Opposing Repeal of Gainful Employment Rule

For Immediate Release: September 13, 2018 WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 13, 2018) — Today, Higher Learning Advocates submitted comments in response the U.S. Department of Education’s proposal to repeal the Gainful Employment rule, a federal regulation that holds certain programs at institutions of higher education accountable based on the earning metrics of their graduates. In the written…

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The Keys to Quality: Reforming Higher Education Accreditation Policy

The key to assuring higher education quality in the U.S. is accreditation, the complex system used by the Federal government as a gate-keeping mechanism to over $130 billion annually in federal student aid. But federal accreditation policy has become almost entirely focused on compliance and bureaucratic procedures, instead of what counts: student outcomes and results.…

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