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To fairly evaluate any higher education reform proposal, we must understand the ways that these dual burdens—less wealth and more debt—lead to worse outcomes for Black students than white students.

The Case for Bold, Equitable Student Loan Cancellation and Reform

Most states have very far to go in making their selective public institutions representative, and thus truly public.

A Policy and Messaging Guide for States to Make Higher Education Affordable Again

A 50-State Look at Rising College Prices and the New American Student

Comparing Tuition Then and Now At Our Elected Officials' Alma Maters

How a Shared Definition of College Affordability Exposes a Crisis for Low-Income Students

If nearly 70 percent of graduates are borrowing, 30 percent (including 35 percent of public college graduates) are not. Who are these students? What type of family or financial resources do they have at their disposal? What are their work habits? In short, what does it take to graduate debt-free these days? This brief answers these questions.

Student loans are treated differently than almost every other form of debt incurred by American households. 

How we can lower student debt while closing the Black-White wealth gap.

A comprehensive look at how the reality of debt-financed college impacts the whole pipeline of decision-making related to college.

Popular theories for rising tuition like administrative “bloat” and student aid are at most minor contributors to tuition increases. Here's the real causes.

Connecticut’s investment in higher education has decreased considerably over the past two decades, and its financial aid programs, though still some of the country’s most expansive, fail to reach many students with financial need.

How Higher Education Cuts Undermine the State’s Future Middle Class

Virginia’s investment in higher education has decreased considerably over the past two decades, and its financial aid programs, though still some of the country’s most expansive, fail to reach many students with financial need.

New Jersey’s investment in higher education has decreased considerably over the past two decades, and its financial aid programs, though still some of the country’s most expansive, fail to reach many students with financial need.

State Higher Education Funding After the Recession

 $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt will lead to total lifetime wealth loss of $4 trillion for indebted households.

Access to a post-secondary education is a vital aspect of the American dream, allowing for equality of opportunity and a stable pathway to the middle class for all who are willing to work for it regardless of their background or socioeconomic status.  Higher education not only improves the prospects for the employment and earnings of individuals, but has benefits that feed back into communities and society as a whole, including increases in civic participation and productivity, and preparedness for success in the global economy.  Our shared commitment to these values is reflected

Demos conducted a nationwide survey of low- and middle-income households in early 2012. The findings in this brief summarize the relationship between college costs and credit card debt, and its impact on students and their parents.