Preston Cooper

1/2 Alarmed by the decrease in college enrollment? Most of the drop is in low-quality schools, says @prestoncooper93.bsky.social . Although humanities majors like me will be saddened by erosion of deeper learning in favor of career-boosting majors. prestoncooper93.substack.com/p/why-the-co...

Congress is on the verge of eliminating Grad PLUS—the program which extends effectively unlimited taxpayer-funded loans to graduate students—and imposing caps on graduate loans for the first time since 2006. The demise of Grad PLUS is welcome. My analysis at AEI: www.aei.org/education/co...

My take on the Senate HELP higher education reform package www.aei.org/education/th...

My analysis of which colleges would benefit the most from the accountability provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act--and which would face the stiffest penalties. www.aei.org/education/ho...

Overregulation has made it hard to start new colleges —and the consequences for students are fewer opportunities and rising prices.

Over at RealClearEducation, I argue that Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson should add higher education to the "Abundance" agenda. www.realcleareducation.com/articles/202...

Does College Pay Off? A Discussion with Preston Cooper — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal Preston Cooper is well-known for his efforts to make postsecondary education affordable and valuable for every American. As a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, he researches college ...

North Carolina! I'll be speaking with Jenna Robinson at this event in Raleigh on June 5. Join us if you're around! jamesgmartin.center/event/does-c...

My latest post for AEIdeas: www.aei.org/education/co...

Just 12m of 35m student borrowers not enrolled in school are paying their loans on time.

This could push some colleges above the 30% default rate threshold that would--if sustained--cause them to lose access federal aid.

Colleges have a responsibility to help return student borrowers to repayment.

What college trustees can do to improve students' return on investment Plus: House Republicans propose a student loan overhaul, and the Education Department restarts collections on defaulted loans.

My newsletter this month looks at strategies college trustees can use to improve students' return on investment at their institutions.

Plus, my analysis of the House reconciliation bill & the Ed Dept resuming student loan collections.

open.substack.com/pub/prestonc...

House Republicans have proposed a new student loan repayment plan that would - for borrowers who keep up with their payments - prevent balances from rising over time.

Here's how it works: www.aei.org/education/ho...

Opinion | Biden’s student loan pause created a bubble. It’s about to pop. As collections resume after five years, disaster looms for delinquent borrowers, taxpayers and the economy.

Good morning! I am in the Washington Post today with a look at the troubling student loan repayment situation--and what the government can do about it. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Trump Administration Announces Plan To Get Borrowers Paying Student Loans Again Involuntary collections on defaulted student loans will resume on May 5, while the Education Department will conduct outreach to all borrowers.

No one benefits when borrowers are allowed to default. If the student loan program is to continue functioning, there must be consequences to discourage default. Reimplementing the collections system was always going to be necessary, and now is as good a time as ever.

www.forbes.com/sites/presto...

What actions could Secretary McMahon take *right now* to raise awareness among student loan borrowers that payments are due again? I explore two options over at the AEI blog. www.aei.org/education/ho...

In February 2020, the last month before the student loan payment pause began, 60 percent of borrowers (serviced by Nelnet) were repaying their loans on time.

Last month, the current repayment rate was just 38 percent.

New data in my latest post for AEI: www.aei.org/education/le...

Student loan payments have resumed after a five-year pause. But the return to repayment is going badly. Congress and the Trump administration need to fix it, I argue in @thehill.com thehill.com/opinion/educ...

Appreciate Adam Wittenberg quoting me in this good piece about rising student loan delinquencies. readlion.com/student-loan...

Thanks for these thoughtful comments! I was able to break out the data for low-income students here.

I have a new report for AEI looking at changes in college tuition between 1990 and 2020. While net tuition paid by students rose around $4,500 in real terms, net tuition received by institutions rose $8,100. The wedge is due to rising external financial aid. www.aei.org/research-pro...

There are 35 million federal student loan borrowers not enrolled in school. As of September 2024, just 13 million were making on-time payments on their loans.

My latest post on the data behind the return to repayment: www.aei.org/education/th...

Super excited to join this panel next Tuesday at SXSW EDU in Austin!

Join us if you can.

Details: schedule.sxswedu.com/2025/events/...

We have an injunction from the 8th Circuit blocking the SAVE plan, as expected.

But the order also says that *all loan forgiveness* on income-driven repayment plans using the same statutory authority is illegal. The implications here are potentially big.

New from me: www.forbes.com/sites/presto...

February newsletter is out! This month I look at how state governments contribute to degree inflation (and what they can do about that).

Also: How Trump can fix the student loan program, and college enrollment trends to watch.

Read it here: prestoncooper93.substack.com/p/how-states...

I'm testifying for the House Education & Workforce Committee tomorrow at 10:15 on the state of American higher education. Tune in here: www.youtube.com/live/TB4nIgm...

The Postsecondary Commission, an aspiring new accreditor focused on student outcomes, is hiring a program manager. Great opportunity for rising higher ed scholars--and a fantastic team to work with. Link to the job description: postsecondarycommission.org/wp-content/u...

Takeaways from the Nat'l Student Clearinghouse college enrollment trends report:

-The FAFSA debacle had less impact than expected.
-Vocational schools show strong growth.
-Students are choosing high-value college majors.
-A rise in grad school enrollment has me worried.

www.aei.org/education/fo...

How Trump can permanently fix the student loan program - Washington Examiner President Donald Trump has a great opportunity to permanently fix the broken federal student loan system if his administration moves swiftly.

How Trump can permanently fix the student loan program

My latest at the Washington Examiner: www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-am...

Congress can Democrat-proof the student loan program forever with a simple change: Block the Education Department from issuing new regulations or executive actions related to the student loan program that increase costs to taxpayers. My latest for AEI: www.aei.org/education/co...

My former FREOPP colleague, Annie Bowers, has published an excellent new paper on outcomes-based funding for higher education, and how to get it right.

freopp.org/whitepapers/...

The Trump transition team is undoubtedly making plans to undo many Biden-era regulations and executive order. But on education, there's one initiative the new administration should maintain: the Financial Value Transparency rule. My latest www.aei.org/education/th...

Some employers are dropping hiring preferences for graduates of ultra-elite colleges. The cases are anecdotal so far, but if they become a trend it would be welcome. My latest for AEIdeas:

www.aei.org/education/em...