In the Press

August 3, 2026

Donors have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into education and workforce training programs. Some of that money has funded credentials that helped workers move to better jobs and higher wages. Some has funded credentials that look good on paper but deliver little in the labor market. There’s often no straightforward, reliable way to tell the difference between useful and useless credentials. But that’s changing.

July 31, 2026

Colorado is preparing to select certificate programs for the new Workforce Pell initiative, but The HEA Group and Open Campus data show widely varying outcomes: about one-third of the state’s certificate programs leave graduates earning no more than someone with only a high school diploma four years later.

July 28, 2026

Public Agenda and The HEA Group today announced a two-year collaborative initiative to improve data transparency and economic mobility across California’s higher education landscape. Supported by ECMC Foundation, the project addresses critical information gaps regarding postsecondary earnings, equips state and institutional leaders to adapt to a changing economy, and strengthens the state’s data infrastructure to empower both students and administrators.

July 28, 2026

The U.S. Department of Education's new STATS and Earnings Accountability rule requires undergraduate programs to demonstrate that their graduates earn more than the typical high school graduate (and graduate programs more than the typical bachelor's degree holder), with programs that repeatedly fail the benchmark risking the loss of federal student loan and Title IV eligibility.

July 22, 2026

A new federal rule from the Trump administration will cut off access to federal student loans for college programs whose graduates consistently earn less than workers with only a high school diploma, a change expected to affect some arts, cosmetology, and mental health programs while sparing most bachelor's degrees at public and nonprofit institutions.

July 20, 2026

After the end of the pandemic-era student loan payment pause and the elimination of the SAVE repayment plan, student loan defaults have surged nationwide, with more than 108,000 Wisconsin borrowers now in default and borrowers from for-profit colleges, particularly cosmetology schools, falling behind on payments at roughly twice the rate of those from public and nonprofit institutions.

June 17, 2026

A discussion featuring Michael Itzkowitz of The HEA Group and Carrie Warick-Smith examined how Workforce Pell and proposed federal accountability rules are ushering in a new era in which colleges must demonstrate that graduates earn more than a typical high school graduate to maintain access to federal aid.

July 16, 2026

A new law requires colleges to prove that their graduates earn more than someone with only a high school diploma or else students could lose access to federal loans. About 300 California programs may fail the test, including many cosmetology and some arts programs.

July 16, 2026

A new federal accountability measure is putting hundreds of California college and certificate programs on notice, warning that graduates who don’t out-earn workers with only a high school diploma could jeopardize their schools’ access to federal student loans. In California, that threshold sits at roughly $36,000 a year, or about $18 an hour — a figure only slightly above the state minimum wage.

July 16, 2026

A new law that took effect July 1 is changing how some college degree programs are judged, requiring them to show that most graduates earn at least as much as a typical high school graduate. The law is expected to affect only a small share of degree programs nationwide, estimating it would apply to about 2% of associate and bachelor’s degree programs.

July 9, 2026

Beginning July 1, new Trump administration rules restrict federal student loan eligibility for college programs whose graduates consistently earn less than the typical high school graduate, a change intended to improve student outcomes and taxpayer accountability.

July 7, 2026

A new federal rule ties college programs' continued access to federal student loans to whether their graduates consistently earn more than the typical high school graduate in their state, aiming to protect students and taxpayers while sparking debate over how higher education's value should be measured.

July 3, 2026

Lakeshore College's summer career camps expose students ages 11–18 to hands-on experiences in high-demand fields such as manufacturing, information technology, and culinary arts, helping them explore career pathways before graduation while addressing regional workforce shortages. While technical programs like welding often lead to strong earnings, not all career-focused programs, particularly culinary, produce economic returns above those of the average high school graduate.

June 27, 2026

This commentary argues that as Workforce Pell expands federal aid for short-term credential programs, policymakers should pair it with stronger transparency and accountability measures, using tools such as The HEA Group's Certificate Earnings Explorer, to ensure that students and taxpayers invest in programs that deliver meaningful career outcomes.

June 25, 2026

A new report finds that more American families are planning and saving for college despite rising costs, while experts, including The HEA Group's Michael Itzkowitz, emphasize the importance of transparent data on costs, debt, and earnings so students can make more informed decisions about their educational investments.

June 25, 2026

A new Texas study finds that while college generally provides a positive financial return, outcomes vary significantly by program, especially for short-term certificates, underscoring the need for better program-level data and transparency tools like The HEA Group's Certificate Earnings Explorer to help students, employers, and policymakers make informed decisions.

June 25, 2026

ACTE highlighted The HEA Group and Open Campus's new Certificate Earnings Explorer, emphasizing that career and technical education certificate programs, particularly in nursing, skilled trades, and public safety, often deliver strong wage premiums and provide valuable data to help students evaluate postsecondary pathways.

June 17, 2026

Forbes highlighted the launch of The HEA Group and Open Campus's Certificate Earnings Explorer, a new tool that brings greater transparency to the economic outcomes of more than 5,500 undergraduate certificate programs as enrollment grows and new federal accountability standards take effect.

June 12, 2026

As AI transforms the workforce, students should prioritize college programs that develop enduring human skills, such as communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, and judgment, rather than focusing solely on technical expertise.

May 17, 2026

New research shows that bachelor's degrees generally provide strong long-term financial returns across nearly all fields of study, with The HEA Group's Michael Itzkowitz noting that even lower-paying majors typically leave graduates financially better off than if they had not attended college.

April 9, 2026

This analysis argues that while certificate programs can create pathways to economic mobility, California needs transparent, program-level data on completion, earnings, and workforce outcomes to ensure students can identify which credentials truly deliver value.

April 1, 2026

The article reimagines March Madness by ranking NCAA tournament colleges based on their ability to promote economic mobility, using affordability, graduate earnings, and Pell Grant enrollment, to highlight institutions that best help students achieve long-term financial success rather than athletic victories.

March 10, 2026

In this op-ed, The HEA Group President, Michael Itzkowitz, argues that higher education is increasingly embracing post-graduation earnings and economic mobility data to improve institutional accountability, strengthen academic programs, and better fulfill colleges' promise of helping students achieve meaningful economic success.

February 6, 2026

A new federal accountability rule will require college programs to demonstrate that graduates earn more than typical high school graduates or risk losing access to federal student loans, a policy expected to affect a small share of low-performing programs while increasing transparency and accountability in higher education.

February 4, 2026

This article explains how colleges can interpret and use new federal earnings accountability analyses, emphasizing that while only programs that fail earnings benchmarks in two of three consecutive years face penalties, the data provides institutions with an opportunity to evaluate program performance and prepare for the new accountability framework.

January 29, 2026

The article outlines the forthcoming regulations implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including Workforce Pell Grants, graduate loan limits, and new earnings-based accountability measures that will tie federal financial aid eligibility to whether college programs deliver positive economic outcomes for graduates.

January 22, 2026

The article examines the new federal earnings accountability rule, arguing that while it will protect students from low-value programs, it also exposes the challenge of balancing economic accountability with workforce needs in essential but traditionally low-paying fields such as allied healthcare.

January 16, 2026

The article explains how the new federal earnings accountability framework will evaluate college programs based on graduates' earnings, with low-performing programs risking the loss of federal student loan and, in some cases, broader Title IV eligibility, while replacing the Biden-era Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency regulations.

December 9, 2025

The U.S. Department of Education has begun labeling colleges whose graduates earn less than high school graduates, giving FAFSA applicants earnings warnings to improve transparency and help students make more informed enrollment decisions ahead of broader earnings-based accountability measures.

November 19, 2025

The article examines the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the U.S. Department of Education's role, explaining that while the department is unlikely to be eliminated entirely, its changing priorities and restructuring could significantly affect federal student loan administration and higher education policy.

October 22, 2025

The article highlights that only a small share of U.S. colleges serve as true “equity engines” by enrolling and graduating large numbers of Pell Grant recipients, arguing that expanding these institutions and pairing access with strong economic outcomes could improve opportunity for low-income students.

September 16, 2025

The article highlights the Golden Returns study, showing that California's highest-value community colleges combine low costs with strong graduate earnings, enabling students to quickly recoup their educational investment and achieve greater economic mobility.

September 2, 2025

This op-ed by The HEA Group President Michael Itzkowitz argues that every state has colleges capable of driving economic mobility and calls for greater use of transparent outcomes data, research, and policy to identify, strengthen, and scale institutions that deliver strong returns on investment for students.

August 7, 2025

The article highlights California's Golden Returns rankings, showing that while many community and career colleges deliver a rapid return on investment through strong earnings and low costs, outcomes vary widely across institutions, underscoring the importance of transparent data to help students make informed college choices.

August 6, 2025

The article highlights California's Golden Returns report, showing that while many public community colleges provide strong returns on investment and significant economic mobility for students, outcomes vary widely across institutions, reinforcing the need for transparent ROI data to guide student choice and institutional improvement.

August 6, 2025

WSCUC expanded its public Key Indicators Dashboard with a new program-level return-on-investment metric that measures how quickly graduates recoup their educational costs, giving institutions, students, and policymakers more transparent data to evaluate program value and student outcomes.

August 6, 2025

The article summarizes the Golden Returns study, highlighting that California community and certificate-granting colleges vary dramatically in return on investment, with public community colleges generally delivering the strongest economic outcomes and fastest payback for students compared to private institutions.

August 6, 2025

The article highlights the Golden Returns study, finding that California community colleges generally provide a much faster return on students' educational investment than private trade schools, while emphasizing the need for transparent outcomes data to help students make informed college decisions.

The article explains that the Washington Monthly College Guide and Rankings evaluates colleges based on their contributions to social mobility, research, and public service, promoting outcomes-driven measures of institutional value over prestige and selectivity.

July 22, 2025

The opinion piece argues that using transparent graduate earnings and labor market data to evaluate academic programs can help colleges improve student outcomes, strengthen accountability, and rebuild public trust in higher education.

June 17, 2025

The article explores how students are increasingly weighing expected earnings when choosing a college major, highlighting wide differences in graduates' salaries across fields of study and the growing importance of return-on-investment data in higher education decision-making.

June 16, 2025

The opinion piece by The HEA Group President Michael Itzkowitz argues that preserving and expanding transparent higher education outcomes data, particularly through tools like the College Scorecard, is essential for improving accountability, guiding student decision-making, strengthening public investment, and maintaining America's global competitiveness in higher education.

June 10, 2025

Senate Republicans' proposed overhaul of federal student aid would simplify repayment options, limit student borrowing, and introduce new earnings-based accountability standards that could cut off federal aid for college programs whose graduates do not earn more than comparable high school graduates.

May 28, 2025

The article examines how Trump administration policies and congressional proposals could expand opportunities for for-profit colleges by easing regulations, increasing access to federal aid for workforce programs, and reshaping accreditation, while raising concerns about renewed risks of low-value educational programs.

March 25, 2025

The article examines proposals to substantially increase taxes on large university endowments, highlighting the debate over whether wealthy institutions should contribute more financially while noting concerns that higher taxes could reduce funding for financial aid, research, and access for low- and middle-income students.

February 20, 2025

The article highlights The HEA Group’s study finding that California State University campuses, led by Cal State Los Angeles, are among the state's strongest drivers of economic mobility by providing affordable degrees that substantially improve earnings for low- and moderate-income students.

February 12, 2025

The article argues that while STEM majors typically provide the highest immediate earnings, students in humanities and social science "stealth majors" can achieve long-term career success by combining transferable skills, experiential learning, and adaptability to thrive in an AI-driven workforce.

February 11, 2025

The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency eliminated hundreds of Education Department research contracts, prompting concerns that reduced access to higher education and K-12 data could undermine transparency, evidence-based policymaking, and students' ability to make informed college decisions.

January 29, 2025

The article examines why many low-income students choose California's more expensive private nonprofit colleges despite higher costs, finding that students often accept significant financial and personal sacrifices in exchange for smaller class sizes, specialized academic programs, institutional prestige, and perceived long-term career opportunities.

January 24, 2025

The article examines Florida's proposed return-on-investment study of selected academic majors, highlighting concerns that comparing programs with very different labor market outcomes, particularly women's and gender studies alongside high-earning STEM fields, could be driven by political motivations rather than objective evaluation of student success.

The opinion piece argues that universities' growing reliance on revenue-generating master's programs, financed by unlimited federal graduate loans, prioritizes institutional finances over student outcomes, underscoring the need for stronger transparency, accountability, and return-on-investment data for graduate education.

January 8, 2025

Large online universities have seen surging enrollment, but completion rates remain troublingly low: fewer than half of students at institutions such as Southern New Hampshire University, Grand Canyon University, and Liberty University earn a degree within eight years, compared with a national average of about 65%. Experts argue that while online programs often serve students facing greater financial, work, and family challenges, their rapid growth raises concerns about whether institutions are investing enough in instruction and student support to ensure students actually complete their degrees.

November 26, 2024

Oakley and Itzkowitz argue that while higher education generally improves students’ economic prospects, outcomes vary significantly by institution and program, making greater transparency and accountability essential. Their analysis found that 97% of California public college programs allow graduates to recoup their costs within five years, while for-profit programs perform substantially worse.

November 19, 2024

Linda McMahon was nominated on Tuesday by President-elect Donald J. Trump as education secretary. Her education experience is limited and her agenda uncertain.

November 16, 2024

Bentley alumni earn $111,896 on average a decade after graduation, more than most of the 3,800 institutions analyzed the HEA Group.

November 13, 2024

President-Elect Donald Trump has stated numerous times that, once he takes office, he plans to shut down the U.S. Department of Education. Will it actually happen?

November 13, 2024

Here are four things to know about the U.S. Department of Education, and why Donald Trump's idea to dismantle it could hit roadblocks.

November 12, 2024

Eloy Ortiz Oakley, former chancellor of California's Community Colleges and President and CEO of The College Futures Foundation and Michael Itzkowitz, President of the HEA Group break down their latest report, and what they say about choosing a specific major compared to a specific school. 

October 8, 2024

How long does it take college graduates to recoup higher education costs? It depends on what they study.

October 3, 2024

About 260,000 graduates who received federal financial aid were examined in the report, which was commissioned by the nonprofit, Oakland-based College Futures Foundation and conducted by the HEA Group.

October 3, 2024

As emerging data shows that taking out loans to earn a graduate degree doesn't always pay off, policy experts call for even stronger regulation of graduate schools.

October 3, 2024

Most higher education in California pays off, new research found – but 112 programs had no economic return on investment.

October 3, 2024

A new report from the College Futures Foundation and the HEA Group identifies the return on investment that undergraduate students can expect to see from thousands of college programs in California.

October 2, 2024

Experts share insights on how to engage and partner with faculty in reimagining gateway courses for college students.

July 23, 2024

President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race cleared the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of the ticket.

July 10, 2024

While some professions don't require college degrees and can also provide good livings, the earnings and wealth gap between college and high school grads remains significant.

July 8, 2024

Americans are increasingly skeptical about the value and cost of college, with most saying they feel the U.S. higher education system is headed in the “wrong direction,” according to a new poll.

May 10, 2024

A new analysis finds that most post-secondary degrees provide a payoff within less than five years after graduation for low- and moderate-income students, although that time frame can largely depend on the type of school and program that a student chooses.

May 10, 2024

New study evaluates the net price of a college degree; the typical earnings of low- and moderate-income students; and how much higher those wages are in comparison to young adults with only a high school diploma.

May 9, 2024

A new report today compares California’s colleges by analyzing how long it would take low- and moderate-income students to recoup the money they spent to earn a college credential.

May 9, 2024

New report seeks to inform the state and nation’s approach to ensuring that higher education delivers on its promise for students of all backgrounds.

March 11, 2024

Go to college. Get a degree. Get a job. Build a life. It’s a simple plan for success, right? Maybe not so much, anymore.

Marh 6, 2024

The HEA Group pulled data from U.S. Department of Education records to assess which graduates are most able to pay down federal student loans.

March 1, 2024

The analysis found that former students at most colleges had an annual income higher than high school graduates a decade after enrollment.

February 26, 2024

More than half of Americans who earned college diplomas find themselves working in jobs that don't require a bachelor's degree or utilize the skills acquired in obtaining one.

February 23, 2024

While most colleges are producing graduates who go on to earn incomes higher than your typical high school graduate, a sizable portion of them are not.

February 22, 2024

Three fresh reports look at graduate underemployment, colleges that don’t pay off, and why simple narratives on ROI miss the mark.

February 21, 2024

A new analysis found that more than 1,000 colleges failed to meet a “generous” threshold for postgraduate earnings, raising concern about the return on investment for some students.

February 20, 2024

Americans are increasingly skeptical of the value of a post-secondary education at a time when college attendance costs are soaring. In some cases, those doubts may be justified.

February 2, 2024

Students who didn’t complete their studies collectively owed more four years after entering repayment than they originally borrowed, a new analysis finds.

January 31, 2024

Graduates of for-profit colleges may see their student loan debt grow regardless of whether they graduate, new research suggests.

January 31, 2024

Whether students complete college or drop out before earning a degree has a significant impact on the amount of student loan debt they owe.

January 31, 2024

Students who completed degrees at public and private nonprofit institutions had smaller student loan balances four years later than peers who didn’t graduate, according to a new report.

January 24, 2024

It's time to acknowledge that progressive aims are in conflict.

January 12, 2024

Your questions, answered by experts.

December 6, 2023

Many students enrolling in the most popular graduate programs can expect to shoulder large debt loads compared to their earnings.

November 21, 2023

A new report shows that 94 percent of the system’s undergraduate degree programs yield positive economic outcomes for graduates.

October 3, 2023

The Education Department's new transparancy measures will tell prospective students if a graduate program will leave them wth debt they can't afford to pay back.

September 28, 2023

Most of the discussion of student loan debt has revolved around undergraduate education, but over 40% of student loan debt is graduate school debt, despite enrolling only 15% of borrowers.

September 20, 2023

Pressure mounts for Ivy League admissions to make room for more low-income students.

September 11, 2023

New York Times database shows some colleges have gained in socioeconomic diversity, but many have declined.

August 27, 2023

Big Tech promised that online career certificates would replace the college degree. They have so far proved to be, at best, a supplement.

August 24, 2023

Is a college degree worth it? On this week's podcast, we explore that very question.

August 3, 2023

Students attending graduate programs at hundreds of colleges and universities end up with more student loan debt than when they started their programs, and several for-profit universities top the list.

August 1, 2023

Despite fierce debates over solutions to the country's student debt crisis, Americans still tend to believe that going to college is worth it. But what about graduate degrees?

August 1, 2023

At 24 institutions, students have accumulated more than $25 million in interest five years into repayment, while at one university, balances grew by $289 million.

August 1, 2023

Some students come out of their graduate programs buried in debt and unable to earn enough to pay down their interest, allowing their loan balances to snowball.

June 21, 2023

As millions of college students graduate this month to launch newly minted careers, the data highlight the powerful role that their majors play in determining post-graduate earnings regardless of the prestige of the institutions they attend.

May 26, 2023

New research finds that a student's major can make a huge difference in their average salary four years after graduating.

May 24, 2023

Some of the most popular college bachelor's degrees don’t always lead to high-paying jobs.

May 24, 2023

Some associate degree majors are earning more than the typical bachelor's degree holder.

May 22, 2023

This spring, thousands of incoming freshmen will painstakingly pick which college to attend. Now, an equally important question faces them: What major will they choose?

May 19, 2023

With the cost of student loans rising, the starting salaries of college graduates becomes even more important.

May 16, 2023

Within four years of graduation, some majors stand to earn as much as $256,539, while others make less than $10,000 per year

May 5, 2023

While recent polls show U.S. adults losing confidence in higher education, the earnings data for college graduates tells a different story.

May 4, 2023

New federal data allows us to see how much students make four years after they’ve completed a college program.

May 3, 2023

A new analysis shows how much college graduates earn after completing different fields of study.

May 1, 2023

There are 17 colleges and universities where the lowest-income students may end up paying more than their higher-income peers.

March 22, 2023

Regardless of allegations of wrongdoing, some colleges continue to receive billions of dollars in government funding.

March 15, 2023

As March Madness arrives, perhaps we should also think about judging schools on the economic mobility they provide, rather than just their prowess on the court.

February 7, 2023

In Colorado, falling enrollment and growing skepticism of higher ed’s worth prompted a proposal to measure the “economic value” of academic programs at public colleges.

January 19, 2023

A ranking metric that captures the economic mobility that advanced degrees make possible for students of lesser economic means is a notion that’s catching on.

January 12, 2023

In the coming months, the Department will publish a list of programs that are considered to have a low financial value to students and taxpayers. Who will be on it?

January 3, 2023

It’s necessary to know the share of Pell Grant students who attend an institution of higher education — after all, you can’t drive socioeconomic mobility if you don’t enroll lower- and moderate-income students.