Awilda Rodriguez and Andrew Kelly of the Center on Higher Education Reform at AEI:
Last fall, President Obama unveiled a plan to promote college affordability by changing the way the federal government distributes student financial aid. The proposal calls for a federal college ratings system that appraises colleges on measures of access, affordability, and student success.These ratings would then govern the allocation of federal student aid dollars, with schools that perform well receiving larger Pell Grants and more generous student loans. Schools that lag behind would get less….
According to a 2008 report by Public Agenda, most college presidents believe the three sides of the triangle are “linked in an unbreakable reciprocal relationship, such that any change in one will inevitably impact the others.” Through this lens, enrolling more disadvantaged students is a worthwhile goal, but it will likely lead to a drop in completion rates. Similarly, reducing costs will boost affordability and encourage access, but it could compromise the quality of the education provided.
What follows is an outstanding, balanced, easy-to-follow analysis of President Obama’s plan to promote college affordability and increase accountability. Rodriguez and Kelly carefully assess how incentives surrounding access, affordability, and student success (as measured by graduation rates) would impact different kinds of colleges and universities. Here is their scatter plot that looks at net price (affordability) on the x-axis, access on the y-axis (as measured by the percent of undergraduate students who receive Pell Grants), with the color indicating the graduation rate (red is low, dark green is high).
You can also interact with the plot, selecting only certain kinds of schools. Read the whole report.
