Benjamin Miller

It's not news that the cost of a college degree has risen significantly over the last couple of decades.

Since 1990, tuition and fees have risen by nearly 225 percent at four-year public colleges and by 154 percent at private four-year colleges. The real story is that tuition growth rates often fluctuate wildly from year to year -- which makes it hard for families to plan ahead and budget enough to cover the costs.

Last year, students at Villanova faced an unexpected… more

As Program Associate in the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation, Benjamin Miller helps to promote policy ideas with respect to K-12 finance and such higher education issues as access, quality, and affordability. He also contributes to the program’s blog, www.HigherEdWatch.org.

Mr. Miller is a Phi… more

As the old adage goes, you reap what you sow.  For many years colleges and university endowments, which receive very advantageous government tax breaks, have grown at extraordinary rates. Now, two high-powered senators are starting to ask questions about just what these wealthy institutions have been doing with their funds. While we… more

The House version of legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act contains language that proposes to change how student loan defaults are calculated, a move that could have serious implications for schools and students’ access to federal student aid. This is a welcome change to the… more

Yesterday, a key Congressional education committee took a groundbreaking albeit modest step on a top flight concern of parents and students —  ever escalating college tuition. 

For years, the federal government’s main role in higher education finance has been to… more

The Senate Finance Committee appears to be moving forward with a proposal that would require wealthy colleges and universities to spend a minimum percentage of their endowments each year — a move which we at Higher Ed Watch strongly support. Private foundations, like the Bill & Melinda… more

Last week, we discussed the paucity of low-income students at the country's wealthiest colleges and universities. We offered a proposal that would require the richest private colleges to devote a portion of their yearly endowment income to help increase the socioeconomic diversity of their students. Some might argue that there aren't enough qualified underprivileged students… more

Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning is a forgiving man — at least when it comes to those who are helping finance his planned campaign for the United States Senate, like his good friends at the student loan company Nelnet.

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In June, we floated a proposal that would require the wealthiest colleges and universities to spend a minimum amount of their endowments to help increase enrollment of low-income students. After taking a closer look at just how inadequately the most affluent private… more

Congress is inching closer to slashing overly generous subsidies the government provides student loan banks and increasing need-based student aid by a concomitant amount. Last week, the House approved a budget reconciliation bill that would reduce bank subsidies by $19-billion over five years and redirect the savings to expanded grant aid… more