1. college affordability & completion
Today, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more education and training than a high school diploma.
Yet nearly half of students who begin college in this country never finish.
For low-income students, the completion rate is less than one in ten.
To address these challenges, the U.S. Department of Education has taken major steps to help students afford college, and proposes to build on that momentum with initiatives that will drive reforms to reduce the escalating costs of higher education. 
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, College Affordability and Completion: Ensuring a Pathway to Opportunity,

2. How to use this presentation deck
This slide deck has been created by the U.S. Department of Education as a resource tool for the public and is part of a larger “bookshelf” of resources that may be found on the Department’s website.
Within the larger bookshelf, you will find individual resource “booklets” like this one, on topics ranging from early learning to higher education.
Together, these booklets provide facts and data on:
Progress in education reform
The challenges ahead
The U.S. Department of Education’s initiatives in these areas
Please view the notes section on each slide for additional information and resources.
The entire deck is in the public domain, and may be used and shared freely.
This presentation deck has been created by the Office of Communications and Outreach within the U.S. Department of Education.
This deck is a “living” resource tool. It will be updated periodically and reposted on the Department of Education’s website, ED.gov.

3. “America cannot lead in the 21st century unless we have the best educated, most competitive workforce in the world.” “But the truth is, an education is about more than getting into a good college.  It’s about more than getting a good job when you graduate.  It’s about giving each and every one of us the chance to fulfill our promise, and to be the best version of ourselves we can be.”
SOURCE: The White House, The President’s Remarks on Higher Education, April 24, 2009,
The President’s Back-to-school Address, September 14, 2010,
—President Barack Obama

4. college completion We used to be #1. we are now #12.
America must do a better job of ensuring that every young person has the chance to fulfill his or her promise.
While America used to be one of the world’s leaders in college attainment among young adults (age 25 – 34), our rank has fallen to 12th in the world.
SOURCE: The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education at a Glance, 2013,

5. Degree Completion Rate by Income Level
Disparities by income
In the u.s., Disadvantaged students struggle the most
Degree Completion Rate by Income Level
Disadvantaged students still tend to struggle the most in this country.
Low-income students are far less likely to complete college and earn degrees than their more affluent peers.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education 2009, Beginning Postsecondary Students Study,

6. The rising cost of college
President Obama has set the goal of restoring America’s position as first in the world in college completion by 2020.
To reach that goal, we need to tackle the problem of skyrocketing college costs. Otherwise, too many Americans will not have the financial means to complete college.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute for Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, The Condition of Education 2013,

7. The cost of college
Private, nonprofit, and for-profit colleges
The average “net price” for undergraduates to attend a four-year private, nonprofit institution amounted to $23,000 during the 2011–2012 academic year.
At private, for-profit four-year institutions, the average net price was $16,600.
At for-profit two-year institutions, the net price averaged $18,600.
The 2011–2012 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:12) is a nationally representative study of undergraduate and graduate students attending postsecondary institutions in the United States.
One important indicator in the study is the “net price of college,” which includes attendance minus all grant aid.
Additional findings from the study include:
The average "sticker” price, or the price of attendance without accounting for student financial aid, among all undergraduates in the 2011–2012 academic year was $17,900 for public four-year institutions and $34,400 for private nonprofit four-year institutions. At private, for-profit four-year institutions, the average price of attendance was $19, Additionally, the study shows that the average “sticker” price of attendance for undergraduate students in 2011–2012 was $8,700 for public two-year institutions and $21,100 for private, for-profit two-year institutions.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,

8. Higher education pays
Higher levels of education lead to both higher levels of earnings for individuals and higher tax revenues for federal, state, and local governments.
The bars in this graph show median earnings at each education level. The lighter segments represent the estimated average federal, state, and local taxes paid at these income levels. The darker segments show after-tax earnings.
Note: Taxes paid include federal income, Social Security, Medicare, state and local income, sales, and property taxes.
SOURCE: The College Board, Education Pays, 2010,

9. The president’s goal Goal Result
10 million more graduates from community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities (beyond 2+ million expected due to growth)
Every American completes one year or more of higher education or advanced training in his/her lifetime
Result
The best educated, most competitive workforce in the world.
Even with the challenges this country and individual states face, it is our moral obligation and an economic imperative to ensure more Americans can attend and complete college.

10. The president’s plan
Building an economy that works for everyone
“Higher education can’t be a luxury—it is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.”
— President Barack Obama
President Obama has outlined a plan to keep college affordable with the Blueprint for an America Built to Last, which was unveiled at the State of the Union in 2012.
The President has called upon every state to require that all students stay in high school until they earn a diploma or turn 18 years of age.
Additionally, the President has called for a new partnership between community colleges and businesses to help train and place 2 million skilled workers.
SOURCE: The White House, Blueprint for An America Built to Last,

11. The president’s plan Invest in higher education
Building an economy that works for everyone
Invest in higher education
Galvanize the shared responsibility of states, institutions, and the federal government
Support America’s community colleges
Provide students and families with the tools to plan for and afford college
The Obama administration has outlined a plan to address college access, affordability, quality, and completion.
SOURCE: The White House, Blueprint for an America Built to Last,

12. Pay colleges and students for performance
A higher education is the single most important investment that students can make in their own futures.
President Obama’s plan to make college more affordable includes three main components:
Pay colleges and students for performance.
Develop a new college ratings system for comparing value among schools, and tie financial aid to it.
Challenge states to fund public colleges based on performance.
Hold students and colleges receiving student aid responsible for making progress toward a degree.
Promote innovation that cuts costs and improves quality.
Challenge colleges to offer students a greater range of affordable, high-quality options.
Encourage schools to award credits based on learning and not on seat time, and promote dual enrollment.
Challenge colleges to use technology to redesign courses and provide services.
Help students manage loan debt.
Allow all student loan borrowers to cap their student loan repayments at 10 percent of their monthly income.
Make sure struggling borrowers know they have options to help repay their debt.
SOURCE: The White House. President Obama’s Plan for Making College More Affordable.
In August 2013, President Obama outlined a plan to combat rising college costs and make college affordable for American families:
Pay colleges and students for performance
Promote innovation that cuts costs and improves quality
Help students manage loan debt

13. College affordability & quality
THE PRESIDENT’S FISCAL YEAR 2014 BUDGET REQUEST
Maintain federal investments
$5,785 maximum Pell grant to over nine million students
Long-term stability for student loan interest rates
Expand the Pay as You Earn program
Drive systemic reform at the state level
A proposed Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion program will incentivize states to modernize funding policies, make it easier for students to access and complete college, encourage innovation.
Support institutional innovation and reward good actors
Increase college access and success and validate new learning models through the First in the World program for innovative practices
Reform Campus-Based Aid to prevent the expiration of Perkins Loans and reward colleges for serving low-income students well, keeping costs reasonable, and providing good value.
Empower students and families with information through a college scorecard and financial aid shopping sheet
President Obama’s fiscal year 2014 budget proposes a four-part strategy that will bring states, colleges, the federal government, students and families together to share responsibility for improving college affordability and quality.
Here are the main components:
1. Maintain Federal investments in higher education by protecting and increasing federal student aid, including by:
Allowing the maximum Pell grant to increase to $5,785, based on inflation;
Providing long-term stability for student loan interest rates; and
Expanding the Pay as You Earn program.
2. Drive systemic reform at the state level through a Race to the Top: College Affordability and Completion competition. The competition would encourage states to modernize and sustain higher education funding policies, make it easier for students to access and complete college, and encourage innovation.
3. Support Institutional innovation and reward good actors, including by:
Provide support for a First in the World program for innovative practices that increase college access and success and validate new learning models.
Reforming Campus-Based Aid to prevent the expiration of Perkins Loans and reward colleges for serving low-income students well, keeping costs reasonable, and providing good value.
4. Empower Students and Families with information through a college scorecard and financial aid shopping sheet.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
The White House, Office of Management and Budget

14. College Access & Completion
THE PRESIDENT’S FISCAL YEAR 2014 BUDGET REQUEST
Additional federal investments include:
Supports for low-income students:
Federal TRIO programs
GEAR UP programs
Aid for Minority Serving Institutions:
President Obama’s budget maintains support for critical investments that improve college access and completion, including investments in TRIO, GEAR UP, and Minority Serving Institutions.
The federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
The GEAR UP program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
GEAR UP provides six-year grants to states and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students.
A list of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) may be found here.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
The White House, Office of Management and Budget

15. FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR HIGHER ED
Increase Pell Grants
President Obama has raised the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,785 for the award year.
Total Pell Grant recipients have increased by 50%– from 6 million students in 2008 to more than 9 million today.
Help Students Manage Debt
Income-Based Repayment will allow students to cap repayment of loans at 10% of their monthly income.
The expanded Pay As You Earn program will open repayment options to 1.6 million additional students.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness supports students pursuing public service careers.
The President has called for changing the structure of interest rates on federal loans for students and parents to reflect market rates.
Federal support for higher education spans a number of different programs.
The Pell Grant is a federal grant for undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need in order to attend college.
Pell Grants represent an investment in students that will pay great dividends over time by keeping America at the forefront of economic and workforce competitiveness. 
The Income-Based Repayment (IBR) program is designed to reduce monthly payments to assist students in making their college loan debt manageable.
To qualify for IBR, students must have a partial financial hardship. Students qualify for a partial financial hardship if the monthly amount they would be required to pay on their IBR-eligible federal student loans under a 10-year Standard Repayment Plan is higher than the monthly amount they would be required to repay under IBR.
Students’ payment amounts may increase or decrease each year based on their income and family size. Once students have initially qualified for IBR, they may continue to make payments under the plan even if they later no longer have a partial financial hardship. 
The Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan helps students to keep their monthly student loan payments affordable, and usually has the lowest monthly payment amount of the repayment plans that are based on students’ income.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue to work full-time in public service jobs. Under this program, borrowers may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance of their direct loans after they have made 120 qualifying payments on those loans while employed full time by certain public service employers.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development;
The White House, Office of Management and Budget,
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid,

16. FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR HIGHER ED
Direct Savings to Help Students
Conversion to Direct Loans saved $68 billion over 11 years, of which $40 billion has gone directly to students.
Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training Initiative (TAACCCT)
A partnership between the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor distributes $2 billion in competitive grants to help community colleges—in partnership with industry—to strengthen the transfer and completion pipeline across an entire region or industry sector.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 amended the Trade Act of 1974 and authorized the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant program.
In March 2010, President Obama signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, which included $2 billion to fund the TAACCCT program.
TAACCCT provides community colleges and other eligible institutions of higher education with funds to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that can be completed in two years or less, are suited for workers who are eligible for training under the TAA for Workers program, and prepare program participants for employment in high-wage, high-skill occupations. 
The U.S. Department of Labor is implementing the TAACCCT program in cooperation with the Department of Education.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development;
The White House, Office of Management and Budget,
U.S. Department of Labor,

17. FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR HIGHER ED
Easing Access to Federal Aid
Since 2009, the simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has helped fuel a 30% increase in applications.
More than 21 million students will submit a FAFSA this year.
Expand Education Tax Credits
The American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) provides 9.4 million students and families with up to $10,000 for four years of college.
The Obama administration is working with Congress to make this credit permanent.
To apply for federal student aid, students need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and, now, easier than ever before. The FAFSA gives students access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college. Many states and colleges use FAFSA data to determine students’ eligibility for state and school aid, and some private financial aid providers may use FAFSA information to determine whether students qualify for their aid.
The American Opportunity Tax Credit, which was to expire at the end of 2012, was extended through December 2017 by the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development;
The White House, Office of Management and Budget,
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal Student Aid,

18. Federal support for higher ed
A focus on community colleges
The White House hosted the first-ever Community College Summit in October 2010.
This was followed by four regional summits across the nation, organized by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
The Obama administration hosted a summit on community colleges in 2010.
The first-ever Community College Summit, which spurred regional meetings, brought together community college administrators, faculty, and students, business and philanthropic leaders, as well as federal and state policy leaders. 
During the summit, participants discussed how community colleges can ensure that the United States has the most educated workforce in the world so that American businesses can compete in the global economy and so that the President’s goal of leading the world with the highest proportion of college graduates can be achieved by the year  
The four regional community college summits referenced on this slide focused on:
Adult learners,
Successful transfer practices,
Partnerships between community colleges and employers,
Exemplary programs for veterans, military members and their families.
SOURCE: The White House Summit on Community Colleges Summit Report,

19. Federal support for higher ed
A focus on community colleges
Launching accurate performance measures through part-time student data in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
Working with the Department of Labor to finalize round three of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program
Reinvesting savings from Direct Loan transition into Federal Student Aid programs
Easing student access to student aid programs through the simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
The Department of Education is engaged in a number of ongoing efforts to support community colleges and encourage innovation and reform at these schools.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Undersecretary,

20. Federal support for higher ed
A focus on community colleges
Additional U.S. Department of Education activities supporting community colleges include:
Proposed the First in the World Fund
An investment in individual colleges and nonprofit organizations designed to develop, validate or scale up innovative and effective strategies for boosting productivity and enhancing quality on campus
Competency-Based Education
Dear Colleague Letter released in 2013 – provides institutions with guidance and flexibility to innovate away from traditional learning models while using Title IV aid
Experimental Sites
Federal Student Aid (FSA) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) are currently conducting experiments around short-term Pell awards and aid for foreign students at community colleges
From their very beginnings, community colleges have never shrunk from challenges—whether it was working with disadvantaged students, first-generation students, adult learners, part-time students, or immigrants.
The countless students who have succeeded at community colleges are testament that these schools can rise to meet the urgent challenges of the 21st century.
For the best interest of students and our nation, community colleges must be valued and strengthened. 
The U.S. Department of Education supports community colleges through a number of activities.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Undersecretary,

21. FEDERAL SUPPORT FOR HIGHER ED
College Affordability and Transparency Center:
Financial Aid Shopping Sheet
Interactive Loan Counseling Tool
College Scorecard
New Federal Student Aid Website:
The College Affordability and Transparency Center is an online hub where users may find information about how much it costs to attend different colleges, how fast those costs are going up, and information related to why those costs are increasing.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Undersecretary,
U.S. Department of Education, College Affordability and Transparency Center,

22. Federal support for higher ed
A new resource for guidance counselors & other advisors
The Financial Aid Toolkit, available at FinancialAidToolkit.ed.gov, consolidates financial aid resources and content into an online database, making it easy for individuals to quickly access information they need to support students in selecting and financing college.
Launched in December 2013, this searchable online database provides access to resources covering the entire financial aid lifecycle—from applying for financial aid to repaying student loans.
It includes documents such as financial aid night materials, presentations, brochures, videos, and sample Tweets and Facebook posts. The toolkit also offers professional development information such as training opportunities and resources for self-instruction.
By equipping counselors and mentors with financial aid information, current and potential students can receive the assistance they need to successfully navigate the process of planning and paying for postsecondary education.
This new tool builds on the Obama administration's ongoing efforts to improve college access and affordability. The Financial Aid Toolkit also represents an important step toward meeting the President's 2020 goal of the United States once again having the most college graduates in the world.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, The Financial Aid Toolkit,
U.S. Department of Education, New Financial Aid Toolkit Part of Department’s Efforts to Improve College Access and Affordability,

23. Higher education and the military
Supporting our veterans
Eight Keys to Help Veterans and Service Members Transition to and Thrive in the Classroom:
Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to promote well-being and success for veterans.
Ensure consistent and sustained support from campus leadership.
Implement an early alert system to ensure all veterans receive academic, career, and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming.
Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with the creation of a designated space (even if limited in size).
Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government agencies, to align and coordinate various services for veterans.
Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on veterans, including demographics, retention, and degree completion.
Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on issues and challenges unique to veterans.
Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for veterans.
The “8 Keys to Success on Campus” are eight concrete steps that colleges and universities can take to help veterans and service members transition to the classroom.
These keys to success were developed by the Obama administration and the U.S. Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs, in conjunction with more than 100 education experts.
With more and more service members returning home, it has never been more important for schools to have a roadmap in place to make sure veterans are getting the best possible educational experience. By adopting the 8 Keys to Success, schools are taking a positive step in that direction.
SOURCE: The White House, Joining Forces: Taking Action to Serve America’s Military Families, 8 Keys to Success: Supporting Veterans, Military and Military Families on Campus,

24. Cradle to college
Improving education across the spectrum
Please see the additional slide deck “booklets” in this 13-part presentation for more information about needs and efforts in these areas:
Improving Education for all Students
Quality Early Learning
K-12 Education
Teachers & Leaders
STEM Education
Turnaround Schools
Safe Schools
Standards & Assessments
Technology & Data
Ladders of Opportunity
Please find this information at