Higher Education

Increasingly, one needs a higher education degree to achieve even a moderate standard of living. The rising cost of postsecondary education raises new questions: Who can afford an advanced degree? What can government and other institutions do to level the playing field for all high school graduates?

State and local governments seek ways to encourage cost-effective higher education, while improving quality standards.

With support from Pew and its partner, the Atlantic Philanthropies, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, was established in 1998.

The Center's broad goal is to promote public policies that enhance Americans’ opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school. To ensure its unbiased perspective, the Center is not affiliated with any institution of higher education, with any political party or with any government agency.

The Center prepares action-oriented analyses of pressing policy issues facing the states and the nation regarding opportunity and achievement in higher education, including two- and four-year, public and private, for-profit and nonprofit institutions. It communicates performance results and key findings to the public, civic, business and higher education leaders as well as state and federal leaders who are working to improve higher education policy.

For more information, visit the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Web site.