Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center

Calling Higher Ed Scholars: Here’s How to Comment on the Student Loan Provisions of the New ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ Rules — PEER Center To read the proposed regulations this post discusses or to submit comments to the Department of Education, click here . The Department recently released proposed regulations that…

#HigherEd researchers, call your offices! There's a new draft rule on student loan limits & repayment, and public comments are due March 2. Learn how to ensure your research is heard by @usdeptofed.bsky.social via PEER's @claremccann.bsky.social: www.peer-center.org/research/com...

APPLY NOW: PEER Center Summer Scholars Program — PEER Center June 3-5, 2026 | Apply by March 1 The Postsecondary Education & Economics Research (PEER) Center invites early- and mid-career academics conducting higher education policy research to apply to…

🚨 Applications open for @PEERresearch.bsky.social Summer Scholars! 🚨

We'll host early-/mid-career scholars in DC from June 3-5, costs covered, to learn more about federal policymaking from scholars/experts who have been there. Applications due March 1! www.peer-center.org/research/sum...

@PEERresearch.bsky.social's @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social @claremccann.bsky.social, along with Adam Looney, wrote at @Brookings.edu how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reshapes student lending through new borrowing caps, repayment plans, and more. www.brookings.edu/articles/how...

DYK: Many graduate students don't complete their programs, with completion rates similar to bachelor's-degree students? Learn more in this NEW @peerresearch.bsky.social policy brief out today from @jeffdenning.com and @lesleyturner.bsky.social. www.peer-center.org/research/gra...

Study up on Public Service Loan Forgiveness! Our @peerresearch.bsky.social Study Guide on PSLF was recently updated to include NEW data from @usdeptofed.bsky.social showing the average forgiveness amounts of Public Service Loan Forgiveness recipients. www.peer-center.org/research/stu...

The Talent Cost of Research Funding Delays — PEER Center Scientific research is a cornerstone of innovation, economic growth, and human well-being. The emergence of the modern U.S. scientific ecosystem in the post-World War II era has delivered…

New @peerresearch.bsky.social brief from @wytham88.bsky.social on impacts of federal funding interruptions for research labs: Gaps in federal funds mean lab staff--especially postdocs and grad students--work, earn, publish less, and even leave the U.S. altogether. www.peer-center.org/research/tal...

Measuring the Earnings Premium for Graduate Programs in OBBBA’s Accountability Scheme — PEER Center The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law last July, established the first-ever statutory framework to hold most higher education programs – including all graduate certificates and…

Following along with today's #negreg on #highered accountability? @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social has some technical advice for @usdeptofed.bsky.social about how to set the earnings threshold for graduate-level programs. www.peer-center.org/research/ear...

Student Loans for Graduate School: Who Will Be Affected by the New Federal Lending Limits? — PEER Center This report was published through the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Consumer Finance Institute. A key provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025, signed into law in July 2025,…

OUT TODAY: @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social, Monarrez, Ritter looked at new graduate loan limits.

➡️ One in three now borrow above the limits, esp doctoral/prof. degrees
➡️ Of those, almost 40% will struggle to get private loans
➡️ Variation by field of study

www.peer-center.org/research/stu...

Accountability for All Programs: Aligning America’s Outcomes-Based Standards — PEER Center For more than a decade, higher education policymakers have contemplated ways to hold postsecondary education programs responsible for ensuring adequate outcomes of their graduates. The most significan...

Full report here: www.peer-center.org/research/ali.... Check it out! 8/8

One thing is clear: OBBBA left major gaps in the accountability landscape, most egregiously by excluding undergraduate certificate programs. With #negreg starting next week, @usdeptofed.bsky.social should ensure that all programs face consequences for poor outcomes and wasted taxpayer $. 7/

One more: Match the earnings test from OBBBA in GE, and drop the debt-to-earnings test. @PeerResearch actually wrote a whole separate report about what that would mean: www.peer-center.org/research/how.... It provides accountability where needed most, but removes some key protections. 6/

Another option: Match the earnings test from OBBBA in GE, but retain a debt-to-earnings standard, too (and align the measurement of earnings across them). About 130,000 students annually are in GE programs that pass OBBBA, but fail this debt-to-earnings standard. 5/

One option: Keep GE as-is. This does the most of any option we looked at to protect students from low-earnings programs and unaffordable-debt programs. (NB: Unaffordable debt includes both private and federal loans -- so still needed even with new federal grad loan limits). 4/

Students in undergrad certificates, though, enroll more than *half* of federally aided students with median earnings below the new earnings standard (and only 8% overall).

Without GE, fewer students would end up protected from low-value programs post-OBBBA than before it.

3/

The reconciliation law (OBBBA) passed this year by Congressional Republicans broadened accountability -- but left out undergrad certificate programs (other than Workforce Pell ones). Without gainful employment rules, that is the sole sector not subject to accountability. 2/

Accountability for All Programs: Aligning America’s Outcomes-Based Standards — PEER Center For more than a decade, higher education policymakers have contemplated ways to hold postsecondary education programs responsible for ensuring adequate outcomes of their graduates. The most significan...

🚨NEW REPORT from @peerresearch.bsky.social: New #highered accountability standards are coming online, but gainful employment rules are an essential complement. Here's why, and what aligning America's outcomes-based standards could mean. Report: www.peer-center.org/research/ali... 1/

Calling all #highered researchers: @usdeptofed.bsky.social is writing regulations to implement changes to loan limits, student loan repayment, accountability, and more. Learn what it means to public comment like a pro with a @peerresearch.bsky.social event TOMORROW at 1 PM ET: bit.ly/3Kx7f2M.

How Will Graduate Student and Parent Borrowing Be Affected by New Federal Loan Limits? — PEER Center The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that became law this past July included significant changes affecting the way Americans will pay for higher education. Since 2006, both graduate students and…

From @PEERResearch.bsky.social: New graduate, parent loan limits will curtail borrowing for about one-third of borrowers. About $10 billion/yr will no longer be available to grad students (more when including new limits for part-time students), parents. www.peer-center.org/research/gra...

The new RAP plan authored by Congressional features suffers from the same bug… we discuss in this @peerresearch.bsky.social brief www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...

PEER Center Comments: College Costs and Value Transparency — PEER Center College affordability and value are issues on the minds of policymakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as prospective students and their families. Additionally, recent legislation from Congress,…

Congress asked how to improve transparency about college costs and outcomes. Via @PEERresearch.bsky.social:
➡️ Codify financial value transparency data
➡️ Build a universal net price calculator
➡️ Fill gaps in the data infrastructure
➡️ Adopt strong accountability
www.peer-center.org/research/col...

How Do College Programs Measure Up Against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s New Accountability Standard? — PEER Center In July, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that included significant changes to the federal government’s role in funding higher education. Among them is a new accountability…

From @PEERresearch.bsky.social: We estimated how #highered programs measure up against the accountability standard in the reconciliation law. Overall, few programs fall short, but low-earning programs are concentrated in some schools, fields. www.peer-center.org/research/how...

@peerresearch.bsky.social's @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social has looked at the current borrowing levels across fields of study. Check out the attached (green dots for fields that fall in the new definition) for more on the average annual borrowing of the largest professional fields today. 2/

Many graduate borrowers will be affected not just by new annual and aggregate loan limits, but also by a new provision that prorates loan eligibility for part-time students. More in a recent PEER Center brief: www.american.edu/spa/peer/imp...

Impact of New Graduate and Parent Loan Limits Based on our analysis of recent borrowing levels, OBBBA’s new loan limits will curtail borrowing for about one-third of both all parent and all graduate student borrowers. Read more.

🚨 NEW from @PEERResearch.bsky.social: New graduate, parent loan limits will curtail borrowing for about one-third of borrowers. About $10 billion/yr will no longer be available to grad students (more when including new limits for part-time students), parents. www.american.edu/spa/peer/imp...

These 20 fields enroll 92 percent of federally aided students -- and with a few notable exceptions, most have <2% of their enrollment in programs that would lose loan eligibility under the new #highered law. Check it out: www.american.edu/spa/peer/one...

NEW from @PEERResearch.bsky.social: We estimated how #highered programs measure up against the accountability standard in the reconciliation law. Overall, few programs fall short, but low-earning programs are concentrated in some schools, fields. www.american.edu/spa/peer/one...

AND we're looking for a Research Associate to engage in rapid-response analysis for state and federal policy development. american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...

We're looking for a Senior Research Associate to conduct and manage long-term research projects for PEER, working with state and federal administrative data. american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-...

🚨The PEER Center is hiring! We currently have two positions posted (details below). We're a #highered research center (led by @srcellini.bsky.social @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social) focused on generating actionable research for state, federal policy. Put your data skills to work for an important purpose!

NEW: Most college graduates remain in-state after they complete -- even more among community college graduates -- and tend to move to higher-cost (and typically higher-wage) areas, particularly for grads of highly selective schools. www.american.edu/spa/peer/ear...