Beth Akers
Washington Examiner
Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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Past articles by Beth:
Biden’s changes to student loans means the vast majority of borrowers will never repay their debt
Last month, the left-leaning Urban Institute published a new report that examined the consequences of the Biden administration’s proposed changes to student loan repayment rules. Not surprisingly, their analysis finds that the generous changes to repayment rules will result in the program shifting… → Read More
Biden administration continues to undermine federal student borrowing
Last week, the White House released proposed regulations for a change to the student loan repayment program that will cut many borrowers’ payments in half—passing the hat to taxpayers who will now be on the hook to pick up an even bigger part of the bill. → Read More
A Conversation with Purdue University President Mitch Daniels on Leadership in Higher Education
Join AEI’s Beth Akers and Purdue University’s Mitch Daniels as he reflects on his career and shares his vision for the future of higher education and the role of university leaders. → Read More
Higher Ed: What Went Wrong?: Risk Talking podcast
Audio Transcript Allison Schrager: Welcome to Risk Talking, a podcast about economics. I'm your host, Alison Schrager, and today, I'm joined by Beth Akers. Beth is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where she researches higher education, student loans, and workforce development. She is the co-author of Game of Loans: The Rhetoric and Reality of Student Debt and the author of… → Read More
Joe Biden shouldn't buy into the college loan pity party
Though many are calling for debt cancellation, having a college degree gives you the advantage of higher pay and more job security. → Read More
Four Reasons Why College is So Expensive
Over the last two decades, the cost of higher ed has grown faster than almost any other sector. This new report identifies four sources leading to these rising costs. → Read More
Should Colleges Offer a Student Loan Guarantee?
The risk of obtaining a college degree is that a college graduate’s earnings will not be sufficient to enable loan repayment, or, more fundamentally, to justify the cost of enrollment, regardless of how it was financed. Should colleges guarantee your loan repayments below a certain income... → Read More
MI Responds: Sanders’ Plan to Eliminate Student Debt
Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders endorsed a plan to "cancel" outstanding student loan debt. → Read More
A Universal Bailout Is the Wrong Fix for Student Loans
When it comes to student loans, do we need more individual responsibility or more compassion? Probably both. We’ve celebrated college degrees in the United States to the point that young people see it as the only pathway to a prosperous career. So it’s no wonder why they have been willing... → Read More
Let’s Solve the College Debt Crisis by Treating Students Like Startups
Headlines would have you believe the main problem with college in the United States is the price tag. The figures are ghastly: College costs in the US have grown at a rapid clip, outpacing inflation in every other major sector of the economy, and outstanding student debt currently stands... → Read More
Empower Students with Information About What Their Education Will Produce
The White House made headlines on higher education last week with an executive order aimed at bolstering free speech on college campuses. The order would tie federal dollars to maintaining the First Amendment on campus. Despite President Trump’s charged-up rhetoric, it doesn’t appear this... → Read More
It's Time to Axe Student Loan Forgiveness for Public Service
Among the many controversial proposals in the budget released by the Trump administration last month was the elimination of Public Service Loan Forgiveness, a program that forgives student loans for those who maintain 10 years of employment in the government or nonprofit sectors. While a tough... → Read More
New Student Loan Reform Plan Sounds Good, but Would Only Bleed Taxpayers Even Drier
There are solutions out there that both "sound good" and do good. This isn't one of them → Read More
New student loan reform plan sounds good, but would only bleed taxpayers even drier
There are solutions out there that both 'sound good' and do good. This isn't one of them. → Read More
College Affordability Isn't About the Price Tag
Students and parents should factor in the long-run benefits of college, not just tuition cost. The notion that college is unaffordable is often a part of the national discourse on higher education. Even casual observers of this space are quick to point out that the cost of higher education is... → Read More
The Residency Requirement in Cuomo's Free Tuition Plan Makes a Bad Idea Worse
Early this year, Gov. Cuomo announced his plan to enable New Yorkers who earn less than $125,000 to enroll at SUNY or CUNY without paying tuition. I argued that the plan was bad for the state; skewed to the upper middle class, it delivered taxpayer dollars to students and families who already... → Read More
The Affordability Conundrum: Value, Price, and Choice in Higher Education Today
Abstract Has college become unaffordable? Decades ago, the small share of students lucky enough to go to college largely paid their tuition out of pocket. But today, more and more students are pursuing higher education, and they increasingly rely on debt to do so. Price alone—and whether students have the cash on hand to pay it—is no longer an adequate measure of affordability. This paper… → Read More
Congress Should Support Year-Round Pell Grants
During a meeting last week with presidents from historically black colleges and universities, House Speaker Paul Ryan suggested that he would be in favor of a return to year-round Pell Grants. It comes after President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made overtures to HBCU... → Read More
A College Plan That Just Isn't That Smart
Gov Cuomo’s proposal last week to make public colleges free for students from households earning less than $125,000 a year sends almost no additional aid to poor students, while giving big breaks to families making more than twice the median household income. And while “free tuition” makes... → Read More
Making college less risky to boost social mobility
Investing in higher education, like any other investment, is a risk. Beth Akers asks us to consider whether that investment actually lowers the intergenerational stickiness of socioeconomic status, helping those from the bottom reach the top. → Read More