Research

The PEER Center conducts research promoting more equitable outcomes in higher education. Browse our published work below by topic:

• Accountability
• Consumer Protection
• Data and Transparency
• Graduate Education
• Performance Management
• Student Loans

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Accountability

Cosmetology Schools Everywhere, August 2022, by Stephanie Riegg Cellini and Bianca Onwukwe

Hair and Taxes: Cosmetology Programs, Accountability Policy, and the Problem of Underreported Income, January 2022, by Stephanie Riegg Cellini and Kathryn J. Blanchard

The Hidden Loophole: How Predatory Offshore Medical Schools are Partnering with U.S. Universities to Access Federal Student Aid Funds (Brief), November 2022, by Abigail Moats

How a Bachelor’s Degree Earnings Threshold Could Be Used for Graduate Program Accountability (Brief), June 2024, by Celeste Carruthers

Occupational Licensing and Student Outcomes, February 2022, by Nicolas Acevedo, Stephanie Riegg Cellini, and Kathryn J. Blanchard

Using a High School Earnings Benchmark to Measure College Student Success, February 2022, by Stephanie Riegg Cellini and Kathryn J. Blanchard

When Do Students and Taxpayers See a Return? Optimal Accountability Thresholds in Higher Education, December 2021, by Doug Webber

Consumer Protection

Background and History of the States’ Higher Education Oversight Role in the Federal Regulatory Triad, February 2024, by Libby Webster and Robyn Smith

Changes to the Cash Management Regulations, April 2023, by Libby DeBlasio Webster

The Experiences of Higher Education Authorizing Agencies with Implementing State Authorization Reciprocity, February 2024, by Rebecca S. Natow

State Higher Education Consumer Protection Laws and Interstate Reciprocity, February 2024, by Robyn Smith and Libby Webster

What’s Next for the Post-9/11 GI Bill After the Closure of the 90/10 Loophole? (Brief), June 2023, by Michael S. Kofoed

Data and Transparency

Why Information Alone Is Not Enough to Improve Higher Education Outcomes, December 2021, by Dominique J. Baker, Stephanie Riegg Cellini, Judith Scott-Clayton, and Lesley J. Turner

Graduate Education

Earnings Returns to Graduate Degrees, August 2022, by Veronica Minaya, Judith Scott-Clayton, and Rachel Yang Zhou

The Economic Value of Master’s Degrees, June 2024, by Veronica Minaya, and Adela Soliz

Exploring the Growth of Master’s Degree Programs in the United States (Brief), April 2024, by Robert Kelchen and Faith Barrett

Performance Management

The Role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Educational and Economic Outcomes of Black Students, March 2024, by Ashley Edwards, Justin Ortagus, Jonathan Smith, and Andria Smythe

Student Loans

A Case For (and Against) Automated Income-Driven Repayments for Student Loans (Brief), January 2023, by Dan Kreisman

How Did Expanded Access to Federal Student Loans Influence Graduate Student Borrowing? (Brief), July 2023, by Sandra E. Black and Jeffrey T. Denning

The Importance of "Choice Architecture" for Student Loan Repayment Decisions & Outcomes (Brief), by Lesley J. Turner

Race, Racism and Student Loans (Brief), by Dominique J. Baker