Most Americans today need some education beyond high school to secure a well-paying job, and higher education is a key factor in social and economic mobility. But higher education is not accessible to all students. 

Public investments in higher education are critical to expanding access to these opportunities and ensuring institutions can operate high-quality programs of study. However, it’s not always clear how postsecondary funding systems work or the extent to which they are meeting the changing needs of students, institutions, and states. 

Dollars and Degrees is an ongoing series of briefs that offers a crash course in the essentials of higher education finance for policymakers, advocates, and others interested in improving postsecondary funding.    

How Are Public Institutions of Higher Education Funded?
How Does Tuition Factor Into Higher Education Funding and Affordability? 
How Do Federal Resources Support Higher Education Funding Equity?  

Our companion analysis, Strengthening State Higher Education Funding: Lessons Learned From K-12 identifies insights and lessons that may be instructive as states rework the way they fund higher education.  

Additionally, our Dollars and Degrees: Perspectives From the Field  blog series features discussions with leaders from states where higher education finance policy reform recently occurred or is happening now. By talking with leaders involved in reform efforts, advocates and policymakers elsewhere can learn promising practices from the challenges and successes their states faced.  

Spotlight on Oregon
Spotlight on California
Spotlight on Texas