Austin Slaughter
@austinslaughter.bsky.social
Higher ed researcher at a nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization focused on economic mobility. East Texan.
Friendly reminder: the calendar should be 13 months of 28 days with New Year's Day being a bonus standalone day
January 1, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Friendly reminder: the calendar should be 13 months of 28 days with New Year's Day being a bonus standalone day
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
Here are some key takeaways from the negotiated rulemaking dataset that was released yesterday.
--Only 3.5% of programs will likely fail the earnings metric, but it's disproportionately for-profits and certificates.
--Nearly 30% of grad/professional programs are over the new annual lending limits.
--Only 3.5% of programs will likely fail the earnings metric, but it's disproportionately for-profits and certificates.
--Nearly 30% of grad/professional programs are over the new annual lending limits.
Key Takeaways from the Negotiated Rulemaking Data Release
I thought that the end of 2025 was going to be relatively quiet when I wrote my last piece a couple of weeks ago, but my words to the Chronicle of Higher Education for their 25-year retrospective c…
robertkelchen.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Here are some key takeaways from the negotiated rulemaking dataset that was released yesterday.
--Only 3.5% of programs will likely fail the earnings metric, but it's disproportionately for-profits and certificates.
--Nearly 30% of grad/professional programs are over the new annual lending limits.
--Only 3.5% of programs will likely fail the earnings metric, but it's disproportionately for-profits and certificates.
--Nearly 30% of grad/professional programs are over the new annual lending limits.
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
I'll write a blog post on this at some point over the next few days, but a much larger share of programs at for-profit colleges are estimated to fail the new federal earnings test using newly released data. The level of program also matters, with undergraduate certificates being the main culprit.
December 30, 2025 at 8:43 PM
I'll write a blog post on this at some point over the next few days, but a much larger share of programs at for-profit colleges are estimated to fail the new federal earnings test using newly released data. The level of program also matters, with undergraduate certificates being the main culprit.
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
This !@#$% year in review: the wrecking ball that was February 2025 brought the abrupt end to many Institute of Education Sciences contracts for data collection, evaluation and research. www.brookings.edu/articles/cut... 🧵
Cutting research funding would make education less effective and efficient | Brookings
Presidents of education research associations explain the impacts of recent funding cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
www.brookings.edu
December 29, 2025 at 9:12 PM
This !@#$% year in review: the wrecking ball that was February 2025 brought the abrupt end to many Institute of Education Sciences contracts for data collection, evaluation and research. www.brookings.edu/articles/cut... 🧵
Please tell the 18-year-olds in your life to do the opposite of what Gladwell recommends here
fortune.com/2025/12/27/m...
fortune.com/2025/12/27/m...
Malcolm Gladwell tells young people if they want a STEM degree, 'don’t go to Harvard.' You may end up at the bottom of your class and drop out | Fortune
It’s better to be a big fish in a little pond, Gladwell argues in his book David and Goliath.
fortune.com
December 29, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Please tell the 18-year-olds in your life to do the opposite of what Gladwell recommends here
fortune.com/2025/12/27/m...
fortune.com/2025/12/27/m...
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
"Even after accounting for the upfront costs and delayed benefits, enrolling marginal applicants to public universities generates substantial net returns for society, the marginal students themselves, and the government budget."
Public Universities FTW!
Public Universities FTW!
December 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
"Even after accounting for the upfront costs and delayed benefits, enrolling marginal applicants to public universities generates substantial net returns for society, the marginal students themselves, and the government budget."
Public Universities FTW!
Public Universities FTW!
I anticipate this becoming a campaign issue for Democrats in 2026, fitting into the larger "affordability" issue
The Trump admin will start garnishing wages for student loan borrowers in default next year, sending the first 1,000 notices the week of January 7.
More than 5 million borrowers are in default on their student loans, and that number could balloon next year.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
More than 5 million borrowers are in default on their student loans, and that number could balloon next year.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US to Begin Garnishing Wages for Student Debt Collection in 2026
The Trump administration will begin to seize student debt repayments from the wages of borrowers in default early next year, the US Education Department said Tuesday.
www.bloomberg.com
December 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
I anticipate this becoming a campaign issue for Democrats in 2026, fitting into the larger "affordability" issue
It just happened. I heard my first "see you next year" of the season.
December 22, 2025 at 2:48 PM
It just happened. I heard my first "see you next year" of the season.
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
The Year That Changed Research
How 2025 Changed Research and What's Ahead
A year of mass federal grant terminations and sweeping policy changes to the nation’s research enterprise broke many scientists’ trust in the government. And those changes offer insight into what may ...
www.insidehighered.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:10 PM
The Year That Changed Research
PSA: Never set a 12/31 deadline. All 12/31 deadlines ultimately become 1/15 deadlines.
If it has to be done by the end of the year, set a 12/15 deadline.
If it has to be done by the end of the year, set a 12/15 deadline.
December 18, 2025 at 2:51 PM
PSA: Never set a 12/31 deadline. All 12/31 deadlines ultimately become 1/15 deadlines.
If it has to be done by the end of the year, set a 12/15 deadline.
If it has to be done by the end of the year, set a 12/15 deadline.
Borrowers in the SAVE forbearance whose loans have reached eligibility for (non-PSLF/TLF) forgiveness have two weeks to switch to another repayment plan to avoid paying taxes on the discharged amount
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
www.forbes.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Borrowers in the SAVE forbearance whose loans have reached eligibility for (non-PSLF/TLF) forgiveness have two weeks to switch to another repayment plan to avoid paying taxes on the discharged amount
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
Workforce #Pell can lead to good jobs for students if they get the support needed for long-term success, writes MDRC's Alex Mayer in @hechingerreport.org. hechingerreport.org/opinion-work...
OPINION: Workforce Pell can lead to good jobs for students if they get the support needed for long-term success - The Hechinger Report
Next summer federal funds will be available for Workforce Pell, which extends federal aid for career-focused education and training programs with the expectation that they will lead to “good-paying jo...
hechingerreport.org
December 16, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Workforce #Pell can lead to good jobs for students if they get the support needed for long-term success, writes MDRC's Alex Mayer in @hechingerreport.org. hechingerreport.org/opinion-work...
I don't know the extent to which this ultimately matters, but almost every limitation in how we measure earnings (failure to capture benefits, failure to capture self-employment, failure to account for part-time work, etc.) biases those measurements in favor of STEM fields
December 16, 2025 at 7:36 PM
I don't know the extent to which this ultimately matters, but almost every limitation in how we measure earnings (failure to capture benefits, failure to capture self-employment, failure to account for part-time work, etc.) biases those measurements in favor of STEM fields
About 1 in 9 students who started grad school in the last decade would have been over the new federal student loan caps and unlikely to get a loan in the private market without a cosigner
1 in 9!
1 in 9!
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...
➡️ 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...
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,…
www.peer-center.org
December 16, 2025 at 7:04 PM
About 1 in 9 students who started grad school in the last decade would have been over the new federal student loan caps and unlikely to get a loan in the private market without a cosigner
1 in 9!
1 in 9!
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
First minor drama at #NACIQI: The election for a new chair. Nominees are Zakiya Smith-Ellis, appointed by Congressional Dems and a former Secretary of Higher Ed in NJ; and Jay Greene, a new member and former Heritage Foundation fellow appointed by ED.
First round of voting ends in an 8-8 tie...
First round of voting ends in an 8-8 tie...
December 16, 2025 at 2:32 PM
First minor drama at #NACIQI: The election for a new chair. Nominees are Zakiya Smith-Ellis, appointed by Congressional Dems and a former Secretary of Higher Ed in NJ; and Jay Greene, a new member and former Heritage Foundation fellow appointed by ED.
First round of voting ends in an 8-8 tie...
First round of voting ends in an 8-8 tie...
Reposted by Austin Slaughter
@dubravkaritter.bsky.social Tomas Monarrez and I explore the credit profile of graduate students likely to need private loans after OBBBA’s new loan limits take effect next July. A bit over 1/3 have thin or poor credit and may struggle to get a private loan under typical underwriting practices.
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...
➡️ 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...
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,…
www.peer-center.org
December 16, 2025 at 2:41 PM
@dubravkaritter.bsky.social Tomas Monarrez and I explore the credit profile of graduate students likely to need private loans after OBBBA’s new loan limits take effect next July. A bit over 1/3 have thin or poor credit and may struggle to get a private loan under typical underwriting practices.
Jordan Matsudaira, a trusted expert on the topic, says in this article he expects the private student loan industry to increase from $3 billion per year to $10 billion as a result of new federal student loan caps
@jdmatsudaira.bsky.social
www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
@jdmatsudaira.bsky.social
www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
Grad Programs Brace for Loan Caps
New borrowing limits for graduate programs and the elimination of Grad PLUS Loans have left universities scrambling to figure out how to help students pay for their education.
www.insidehighered.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Jordan Matsudaira, a trusted expert on the topic, says in this article he expects the private student loan industry to increase from $3 billion per year to $10 billion as a result of new federal student loan caps
@jdmatsudaira.bsky.social
www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
@jdmatsudaira.bsky.social
www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
The broad outcry over which graduate degrees are defined as "professional" and thus subjected to a much higher loan cap has turned into a specific request from lawmakers: add nursing to the list
thehill.com/homenews/edu...
thehill.com/homenews/edu...
thehill.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:32 PM
The broad outcry over which graduate degrees are defined as "professional" and thus subjected to a much higher loan cap has turned into a specific request from lawmakers: add nursing to the list
thehill.com/homenews/edu...
thehill.com/homenews/edu...
Some pretty shocking numbers in this survey of student loan borrowers from TICAS
Two-thirds have only heard a little or nothing at all about income-based repayment
A quarter say they received bad information from their servicer and a tenth say their balance is incorrect
ticas.org/affordabilit...
Two-thirds have only heard a little or nothing at all about income-based repayment
A quarter say they received bad information from their servicer and a tenth say their balance is incorrect
ticas.org/affordabilit...
December 9, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Some pretty shocking numbers in this survey of student loan borrowers from TICAS
Two-thirds have only heard a little or nothing at all about income-based repayment
A quarter say they received bad information from their servicer and a tenth say their balance is incorrect
ticas.org/affordabilit...
Two-thirds have only heard a little or nothing at all about income-based repayment
A quarter say they received bad information from their servicer and a tenth say their balance is incorrect
ticas.org/affordabilit...
MDRC just released early findings from an RCT of Montana 10, a multifaceted student support program tailored to the MT context
Findings are only through one year and not for the full sample, but program students so far do not have better outcomes than control students
www.mdrc.org/sites/defaul...
Findings are only through one year and not for the full sample, but program students so far do not have better outcomes than control students
www.mdrc.org/sites/defaul...
www.mdrc.org
December 4, 2025 at 6:51 PM
MDRC just released early findings from an RCT of Montana 10, a multifaceted student support program tailored to the MT context
Findings are only through one year and not for the full sample, but program students so far do not have better outcomes than control students
www.mdrc.org/sites/defaul...
Findings are only through one year and not for the full sample, but program students so far do not have better outcomes than control students
www.mdrc.org/sites/defaul...
I'm always glad to see the importance of basic needs in higher ed being elevated
MDRC on how transportation barriers can derail college dreams
www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
MDRC on how transportation barriers can derail college dreams
www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
Getting There Matters | MDRC
Transportation barriers, such as limited transit options or unreliable service, can have a big impact on college students’ continued enrollment and success. This issue focus discusses how a behavioral...
www.mdrc.org
December 4, 2025 at 2:53 PM
I'm always glad to see the importance of basic needs in higher ed being elevated
MDRC on how transportation barriers can derail college dreams
www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
MDRC on how transportation barriers can derail college dreams
www.mdrc.org/work/publica...
People often excuse this by saying the money comes from donors and doesn't take away from the university
But do we really believe the counterfactual is that NONE of this $228 million would have gone to the university?
But do we really believe the counterfactual is that NONE of this $228 million would have gone to the university?
This year, universities are giving $228 million to football coaches who failed at coaching football so that they won't coach football anymore.
December 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
People often excuse this by saying the money comes from donors and doesn't take away from the university
But do we really believe the counterfactual is that NONE of this $228 million would have gone to the university?
But do we really believe the counterfactual is that NONE of this $228 million would have gone to the university?
MDRC's THE-RCT data file, an individual-level data file including 33 higher ed RCTs and 80k students, is now available on OpenICPSR with a couple updates:
-Two new studies (MMA and ASAP Westchester)
-More years of data for three studies (EASE, DPP, and ModMath)
www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/pr...
-Two new studies (MMA and ASAP Westchester)
-More years of data for three studies (EASE, DPP, and ModMath)
www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/pr...
MDRC's The Higher Education Randomized Controlled Trials Restricted Access File (THE-RCT RAF)
www.openicpsr.org
December 3, 2025 at 8:51 PM
MDRC's THE-RCT data file, an individual-level data file including 33 higher ed RCTs and 80k students, is now available on OpenICPSR with a couple updates:
-Two new studies (MMA and ASAP Westchester)
-More years of data for three studies (EASE, DPP, and ModMath)
www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/pr...
-Two new studies (MMA and ASAP Westchester)
-More years of data for three studies (EASE, DPP, and ModMath)
www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/pr...
New report from HCM Strategists on what states can do promote the adoption of evidence-based student success practices in higher ed
static1.squarespace.com/static/62bdd...
static1.squarespace.com/static/62bdd...
static1.squarespace.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:46 PM
New report from HCM Strategists on what states can do promote the adoption of evidence-based student success practices in higher ed
static1.squarespace.com/static/62bdd...
static1.squarespace.com/static/62bdd...
Interesting survey findings from CCRC on the experiences of former community college students
ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/wp-content/u...
ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/wp-content/u...
ccrc.tc.columbia.edu
December 3, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Interesting survey findings from CCRC on the experiences of former community college students
ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/wp-content/u...
ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/wp-content/u...