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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center

@peerresearch.bsky.social
220 followers 72 following 118 posts

Research center focused on generating actionable research to improve #highered policy. RTs/follows are not endorsements. Check out our site at peer-center.org!

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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
New earnings-based accountability rules for #highered took effect in July. Our estimate: only 2.5 percent of federally aided students are enrolled in programs that will fail that new test. Explore the data for yourself with our new data tool: peer-center.org/research/ear...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Today marks two years since the launch of the @peerresearch.bsky.social Center. Check out some highlights from our past work -- and stay tuned for much more #highered research to come!
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
@jdmatsudaira.bsky.social, co-director of @peerresearch.bsky.social, joined AEI today for an event on "Graduate Education After Grad PLUS." Learn more about our research on new graduate loan limits at peer-center.org!
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Washington state community colleges award thousands of very-short-term certificates each year. A new report from @peerresearch.bsky.social and WA Student Achievement Council details how those students fare in the labor market. Read more: peer-center.org/research/sho...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
What happened when Congress closed the 90/10 Rule loophole? @srcellini.bsky.social and Vasquez found that many colleges offset the inclusion of DOD, VA, and other fed dollars by increasing total revenue. Check it out: www.peer-center.org/research/clo...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
@usdeptofed.bsky.social recently published proposed rules governing earnings-based accountability for #highered programs for public comments (due May 20). Get caught up with these pieces from the Postsecondary Education & Economics Research (PEER) Center:
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
📊🚨New: @peerresearch.bsky.social analyzed how new graduate loan limits will affect individual colleges and programs. Check out our new tool to explore the data for yourself: www.peer-center.org/research/new... (full report: www.peer-center.org/research/gra...)
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
New piece out today from @peerresearch.bsky.social, via Joseph G. Altonji and Zhengren Zhu: Do graduate degrees pay off? Their research finds that earnings returns depend on the field of study and the costs of enrollment. www.peer-center.org/research/do-...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
@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...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
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...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
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...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
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/
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
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/
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
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/
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
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/
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
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.
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
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...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
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...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
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...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
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...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
ICYMI: @PEERresearch.bsky.social is hosting a virtual event on 9/18, 1-2 PM ET. We'll talk everything #highered in reconciliation, what happens next, and how researchers and scholars can engage in the Education Department's rulemaking process! REGISTER: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
NEW from @PEERresearch.bsky.social: A Public Service Loan Forgiveness "study guide" to help you understand who qualifies for PSLF, who's applying, and what it means for policymakers. Check it out here! www.american.edu/spa/peer/pub...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
As @usedgov.bsky.social implements a new #highered accountability law, @PEERResearch.bsky.social urged officials to: ➡️ Provide radically improved transparency ➡️ Maintain an earnings test for certificates, a debt-based test ➡️ Release already-collected data More: www.american.edu/spa/peer/rec...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
This week, @PEERResearch.bsky.social submitted comments to @usedgov.bsky.social on its upcoming regulatory process to implement the #highered reconciliation law -- including urging the Department to maintain strong accountability and transparency rules. www.american.edu/spa/peer/rec...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
The reconciliation law will fundamentally change the student loan landscape. As Congress considered it, @PEERResearch.bsky.social looked at what borrowers would owe on the new modified standard plan and the new (income-driven) Repayment Assistance Plan. Check it out: www.american.edu/spa/peer/hou...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
The Postsecondary Education & Economics Research (PEER) Center generates actionable research to drive policy improvements in #highered. Check out peer-center.org and give us a follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/post... to learn more about our work!
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Tuition caps or freezes in #highered are supposed to lower costs for students -- but a @PEERResearch.bsky.social brief by scholars Lois Miller and Minseon Park explains why that's not always the case. www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
As new grad. loan limits take effect, @PEERResearch.bsky.social dug into the data: ➡️ Health degrees account for nearly half of grad borrowing ➡️ High-debt fields typically have high median earnings ➡️ Typical borrowing varies, across schools and within programs www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
This morning, PEER's @claremccann.bsky.social provided comments to @usedgov.bsky.social on its upcoming rulemaking to implement reconciliation, pointing to this PEER Center report in arguing for strong gainful employment and transparency rules to complement the law: www.american.edu/spa/peer/acc...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
The recent reconciliation law requires short-term programs to pass a tuition-to-earnings test -- tuition charged must not exceed graduates' typical earnings, less 150 percent of the poverty level. @PEERResearch.bsky.social wrote about how that metric might work. www.american.edu/spa/peer/wor...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
@PEERResearch.bsky.social looked at the new income-driven repayment plan (RAP) in the reconciliation law, set to come online soon. Higher payments on the plan for the lowest-income borrowers will increase hardship among those living in poverty and increase defaults. www.american.edu/spa/peer/rev...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
@usedgov.bsky.social is planning a rulemaking on #highered accountability. Check out @peerresearch.bsky.social analysis of which programs fall short of the new reconciliation law's standards: www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl.... For researchers looking to get involved in the process, reach out to PEER!
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
PEER's @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social spoke with @CalMatters.org about how recent changes to graduate #highered loan limits could affect California medical school students, who often borrow more (across medical school and annually) than the new limits will allow. calmatters.org/health/2025/...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
The new #highered reconciliation law will extend Pell Grants to short-term programs -- just 8-15 weeks. The guardrails (minimum standards for job placement, completion rates, earnings) won't do enough to protect against low-quality programs. @srcellini.bsky.social www.american.edu/spa/peer/wor...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Every Tuesday AM, @claremccann.bsky.social @peerresearch.bsky.social shares our weekly "What We're Tracking" newsletter -- chock-full of state and federal #highered news, policy, and analysis. Sign up today and you'll be in the know tomorrow! peer-center.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Congress just passed a reconciliation package that codifies a new standard for #highered programs -- check out our latest from @claremccann.bsky.social @tiacaldwell.bsky.social @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social to see which programs fall short and what the policy leaves out. www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Elements of #highered reconciliation changes fare slated to take effect soon -- and @peerresearch.bsky.social is here to help you see what's coming. Visit peer-center.org /follow us to see what changes to repayment, grad loan limits, accountability, short-term Pell will mean.
Low-income borrowers who have relatively low debt loads (in the ballpark of $12,000, depending on interest rates) would pay more on RAP relative to REPAYE, but they would become debt-free sooner thanks to the principal (and interest) subsidies.
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Want to stay up to date on #highered news and our research? Subscribe to our newsletters here: t.co/bZVthz3wZ8
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
Reducing licensing requirements for cosmetology schools raises completion rates and lowers tuition, without harming earnings. @srcellini.bsky.social, Katie J. Blanchard, and @nicolasacevedor.bsky.social explore their findings more here: www.nber.org/papers/w33936
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Check out some of @peerresearch.bsky.social's latest work by @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social @srcellini.bsky.social @tiacaldwell.bsky.social @claremccann.bsky.social at peer-center.org -- and follow us on LinkedIn for more updates! www.linkedin.com/company/post...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
@peerresearch.bsky.social is excited to announce today that @rajdarolia.bsky.social is now a Senior Fellow with the Center! You can learn more about Raj, and about the PEER Center, here: www.american.edu/spa/peer/tea.... #highered
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
NEW via @srcellini.bsky.social @peerresearch.bsky.social: Congress might offer Pell Grants to #highered programs as short as 8 weeks -- including at unaccredited schools. Research shows that's likely to be both expensive to taxpayers and enormously risky for students www.american.edu/spa/peer/wor...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Via @peerresearch.bsky.social: This is what you need to know about House Republicans' proposed #highered reforms -- including how income-driven repayment would change. h/t @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social @tiacaldwell.bsky.social @claremccann.bsky.social Full piece: www.american.edu/spa/peer/hou...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
On the new Repayment Assistance Plan, monthly income-driven payments look similar to REPAYE 2015, but with higher payments for the lowest- and highest-income borrowers. (Smaller) cliff effects on RAP, too. Of particular concern: $10/month payments for those making well under the poverty line. 3/
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Under the bill, new borrowers would have access to only two plans. The modified standard plan would lower monthly payments for high-debt borrowers, but those with longer plans will pay more overall. There are sizable cliff effects around the tiers of repayment timelines in the plan. 2/
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
Graduate professional programs for medicine, dentistry, and law typically leave completers with over $100,000 in debt. But in many master's degree fields, most completing students borrow $41,000 or less. Find out which in our recent report on graduate student debt: www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
📣Keep up with everything you need to know in state and federal #highered policy with the quick-hits "What We're Tracking" email newsletter from @peerresearch.bsky.social! This week: Updates on reconciliation, state budget cuts, and some extra-credit reading.
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
What happens when states freeze #highered tuition, or cap tuition increases? @loismiller.bsky.social and Minseon Park explain the unintended consequences of with a new brief @peerresearch.bsky.social. www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
This morning, @claremccann.bsky.social of @peerresearch.bsky.social urged @usedgov.bsky.social to maintain the financial value transparency rules for #highered, ensuring students & policymakers have access to high-quality info about how much students pay for college and the payoff of their programs.
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Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
A recent @peerresearch.bsky.social report from @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social finds that most of the highest-debt fields also have high typical earnings -- but across master's programs, similar debt loads can lead to very different earnings outcomes. www.american.edu/spa/peer/upl...
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