A long overdue, much needed transformation is underway in the higher education system. It started a decade ago, when federal and state policy­makers first began to collect data on what students earn after pursuing a postsecondary education. But new data are fundamentally differ­ent. Unlike broad-based national statistics, such as how much someone…

This report presents seven studies commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education to examine the issue of the rapid rise of college costs during the 1980s and the ability of American students and families to afford higher education. The seven papers are as follows: (1) "The Ability to Afford Higher Education: Past, Present, and Future"…