2018 Legislative Update – Week 4

Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee The Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairs presented the subcommittee’s priorities to the Executive Appropriations Committee on Thursday. Final 2018-19 budget revenue projections are expected to be announced in the coming week. From this, additional budget action will be taken by Executive Appropriations Committee in the final weeks of the legislative session. […]

2018 Legislative Update – Week 1

The 45-day 2018 Legislative Session commenced on Monday, January 22, 2018. With over 1,200 legislative bills filled, several are expected to impact Utah’s public colleges and universities. The early weeks of the session focus on the budget and capital development priorities; however, several pieces of legislation are up for consideration. 2018-19 Budget According to the […]

The ROI of Utah’s College Graduates

For every tax dollar the state invests in higher education, there is a 3 dollar increase in tax revenues to the state. Further, a Utahn who invests a year’s worth of tuition in a college education will realize at least a 41% wage increase in the first year working after college.

Issue Brief: Developmental Education in Utah

The number of high school students who enroll in college after graduation has been on the rise the past several years. Many students, however, are surprised when they take placement tests and must enroll in developmental courses. This detour from college-level courses can be costly in terms of both time and money. Unfortunately, it often […]

New report: 30M good jobs that pay without a BA (but many still require college)

Although the decline in the manufacturing economy eliminated many good jobs for high school graduates, new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center) finds that there are currently 30 million good jobs in the U.S. that pay well without a bachelor’s degree (B.A.). These good jobs have a median […]

A long-term look at Utah’s college age population

By 2065 the number of college age population (ages 18-24) living in Utah is projected to increase by 65% (an increase of 196,705 students) to reach half a million, while the school age population (ages 5-17) is projected to increase by 49% (an increase of 329,743 students) to reach nearly one million, according to recently […]

How are tuition waivers used across USHE?

What are tuition waivers? Tuition waivers are a type of financial aid used to help students pay for college. Student aid—a critical part of keeping college affordable—comes in many forms, including federal grants and scholarships. From a student perspective, all student aid serves the same purpose: reducing the out-of-pocket amount a student must pay for […]

12 key takeaways from the NCES Condition of Education 2017 report

The National Center for Education Statistics recently published its annual report, The Condition of Education 2017, which showcases national trends in education using data from the 2014-15 academic year. Below are higher education highlights from the report: 1.) The more education earned, the higher the medial annual earnings. For young adults ages 25–34 who worked full […]

Report highlights gap in educational attainment in Utah’s workforce demands

A new report from Achieve, a bipartisan nonprofit organization focusing on helping states make college and career readiness a priority for all students, has released its latest analysis of states’ student performance against college-and career-ready (CCR) indicators. The report provides a state-by-state analysis of education outcomes in relation to the state’s employment needs. Supply vs. […]