Research

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


Accountability

How Do College Programs Measure Up Against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s New Accountability Standard?, October 2025, Tia Caldwell, Jordan Matsudaira, and Clare McCann

What the Migration of College Graduates Means for Earnings-Based Accountability, September 2025, Johnathan Conzelmann, Steven W. Hemelt, Brad Hershbein, Andrew Simon, Kevin Stange

Accountability for All Programs: The Senate Bill Needs Change, June 2025, by Clare McCann, Tia Caldwell, Jordan Matsudaira

A Closer Look at the House Risk-Sharing Proposal, June 2025, by Tia Caldwell, Jordan Matsudaira, Clare McCann

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

PEER Center Comments on Reconciliation Rulemaking, August 2025, by Stephanie Cellini, Jordan Matsudaira, Clare McCann

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

Affordability

Study Guide: Public Service Loan Forgiveness, September 2025, by Kathryn J. Blanchard and Julia A. Turner

Revamping the Republicans' RAP Repayment Plan, July 2025, by Tia Caldwell, Jordan Matsudaira, Clare McCann

Workforce Pell: Expensive for Taxpayers and Risky for Students, May 2025, by Stephanie Riegg Cellini

Unintended Costs: The Hidden Consequences of Tuition Freezes and Caps, April 2025, by Lois Miller and Minseon Park

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

How Do College Programs Measure Up Against the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s New Accountability Standard?, October 2025, Tia Caldwell, Jordan Matsudaira, and Clare McCann

What the Migration of College Graduates Means for Earnings-Based Accountability, September 2025, Johnathan Conzelmann, Steven W. Hemelt, Brad Hershbein, Andrew Simon, Kevin Stange

PEER Center Comments on Reconciliation Rulemaking, August 2025, by Stephanie Cellini, Jordan Matsudaira, Clare McCann

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

The Devil Is in the Details with High Graduate Student Loan Borrowing, April 2025, Jordan Matsudaira

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

PEER Center Comments on Reconciliation Rulemaking, August 2025, by Stephanie Cellini, Jordan Matsudaira, Clare McCann

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