Despite recent fluctuations and dire future forecasts, the number of college students has grown over the last 30 years. But the number of colleges and universities competing in the higher ed market has not.
“Four in five students today attend an institution that was founded before 1970, and virtually none attend a school that formed in the 21st century,” writes researcher Preston Coooper, in a new report for the American Enterprise Institute and the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.
On one hand, a separate study warns a wave of closures is looming. On the other hand, Cooper notes that enrollment has grown 30% since 1990 but states have created an access problem by making it too hard to open a new institution.
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Should you feel compelled to lobby your state leaders to make the higher ed market more competitive, here’s what Cooper argues you should be advocating for:
1. “Reduce inputs-based requirements for new colleges.” Extensive state requirements for faculty, administration and facilities often prolong the approval process and may stifle “innovative departures from traditional models of higher education.”
2. “Focus on consumer protections.” New colleges may serve as experiments that don’t succeed. If a school fails, students must be protected by strong tuition refund policies and teach out plans so they can finish their degrees.
3. “Leverage student outcomes data.” When states reauthorize a college, officials should consider data on student outcomes such as graduation rates, loan repayment rates and students’ earnings after leaving school. “While states should pursue low barriers to entry in higher education, low barriers should not mean low standards for student outcomes at colleges with a performance record to evaluate,” Cooper writes.
4. “Decouple accreditation from state authorization.” States should not require accreditation if a new college will not be funded by taxpayers. “Decoupling accreditation and authorization would give new schools more runway to prove the value of innovative models without worrying about satisfying an accreditor’s every whim,” Cooper adds.
5. “Make authorization a priority.” The state agencies that authorize new colleges often have multiple other responsibilities and few employees dedicated to the task. States should ensure these agencies have sufficient resources.
