Posts Tagged: Trends & Indicators

New Hampshire, Rhode Island Among Top U.S. States for College Completion at Four-Year Publics, Independents

Editor's Note: A previous version of this Newslink incorrectly reported New Hampshire as ranking first in the U.S. for completion rates of students who began at four-year public institutions. It actually ranks second. This Newslink has been updated to reflect that. New Hampshire is among the top states in the U.S. in completion rates of students who began studies at four-year public institut...

Trying to Make Sure Demography Is Not Destiny

New England is the slowest-growing and most significantly aging region in the country, according to data released earlier this fall by the U.S. Census bureau. Select analysis for the New England region is now available in the demography section of NEBHE’s recently revamped Trends & Indicators. As demographer Peter Francese notes, the elderly will increasingly outnumber school-age childr...

New England’s High “Average Net Prices” and Why We Should Care (or Not)

The University of Southern Maine and Maine Maritime Academy were recently identified as Maine’s most expensive public colleges as measured by average net price in 2011-12 based on a recent update to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center. The College Affordability and Transparency Center’s interactive search tool highlights institutions ...

Rate of Decline in Spring Enrollment Slows

U.S. college enrollment continued to decline in spring 2014, but at a slower rate than in recent terms, according to estimates from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center. Nationally, the number of students enrolled in accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities decreased by 0.8% from spring 2013. This marks the smallest decrease since spring 2012, when enrollments s...

In Higher Ed Finance, What Goes Up Must Come Down?

Nationally, state and local funding for higher education may be making a comeback. In fact, FY 2013 was the first year since 2009 when state and local funding per full-time equivalent student increased from the previous year, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association’s annual report on state higher education finance. While 30 states increased funding per student,...

Endowments Rebound

College endowments grew by nearly 12% in 2013, according to an annual survey of 835 institutions by Commonfund and the National Association of College and University Business Officers. The largest U.S. endowments are Harvard's at $32 billion and Yale's at $20 billion. The nation's top two liberal arts college endowments are at Williams and Amherst colleges. Nationally, the endowments have reboun...

Moving New Englanders: NEBHE Updates T&I Figures on Demography

NEBHE’s Trends & Indicators features an updated section on Demography. • Nearly 70% of New England residents in 2010 were born in the region, down from a peak of 77% in 1950. By 2010, nearly 17% of New England’s population was born elsewhere in the U.S. People born in foreign countries accounted for the remaining 14% of total population. • Connecticut ranked first natio...

Top 10 Legislative Issues Include Rebound in State Higher Ed Funding (with Accountability)

Every year since the mid-1990s, Governing magazine has offered speculation on the top legislative issues facing the states. Higher education rarely makes the list, and most Governing higher ed coverage of late has focused on state budget cuts. But 2014 may be different. The magazine cites a survey by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities finding that 37 states increased FY 2...

High-Impact Practices for Cultural Competency

We live in a knowledge-driven global society. The world has closely knitted economic, social and cultural relations that offer greater entrepreneurial and professional opportunities than ever before. Since meritocracy is considered the basis for success, institutions of higher education like to invest in high-impact practices and programs that raise the quality of academic experiences for students...

State Budgets Slowly Recovering, Reports NEBHE as it Updates Figures on Higher Ed Finance

While some economists see the national economy poised to come back, state budgets and economies aren’t yet in the clear, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) and National Governors Association (NGA) 2013 Fiscal Survey of States. As it is, New Englanders pay just $179 per capita toward higher education, compared with $230 per capita nationally. The NASBO an...