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what we do

  • The Project on Student Debt

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    The Project on Student Debt works to increase public understanding of rising student debt and the implications for our families, economy, and society.

  • Keeping California's Promise

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    California’s Master Plan for higher education guarantees a place in college for every eligible student. The Institute seeks to maximize the effectiveness of this promise by ensuring students have the financial aid and student services they need to succeed, particularly at California’s community colleges.

  • College InSight

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    College InSight is a unique new web site for higher education data and research. The site is a valuable resource for anyone interested in college affordability, student debt, economic and racial diversity, student success, and other important issues in higher education.

  • Simplifying the FAFSA

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    There is widespread agreement that the current Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a barrier to college access. The Institute supports using IRS data to automatically answer income questions on the FAFSA.


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what's new

Special Topics

Resources, publications and links on specific topics including cohort default rates, community colleges, net price calculators, Pell Grants, and private student loans.

See all special topics

Recent Products

poll

Poll: Young Adults Say Higher Education is More Important but Less Affordable

A national bi-partisan survey of adults ages 18-34 reveals that young adults today believe a college education is more important than it was for their parents' generation, that it has become less affordable in the last five years, and that students are leaving school with too much debt.

View the poll results

SDR2010

Student Debt and the Class of 2010

College seniors who graduated in 2010 carried an average of $25,250 in student loan debt and also faced the highest unemployment levels for new college graduates in recent history at 9.1 percent.

Read the report

Cohort Default Resource Page

The Project on Student Debt's new resource page on the federal student loan cohort default rate (CDR) and the new "three-year CDRs" provides background and useful links about cohort default rates for reporters, policymakers, and the general public.

Visit the resource page

Critical Choices

Our new report looks at promising and problematic practices of financial aid offices when students apply for private student loans.

Read the report

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