Financial Sustainability

With rising tuition costs under scrutiny, colleges are minimizing annual tuition increases while boosting financial aid packages, straining an already fragile business model.

America’s private nonprofit colleges and universities are facing serious financial and demographic challenges. How they respond can affect students for years to come.

COVID-19 has exacerbated systemic and institutional impediments that underlie equity disparities on campus, and higher education institutions are taking steps to support incoming and current students.

With the 2020–21 academic year underway, the American Council on Education (ACE) is examining how institutions are responding to the pandemic.

Looking beyond the pandemic, higher education institutions are evaluating what may need to change in their operating models.

In an era of declining public funding, private philanthropy has played an increasingly vital role for both public and private institutions.

The financial sustainability of private residential higher education is under siege, as revenue growth slows and costs continue to rise.

Higher education leaders are continually urged to innovate as they guide their institutions into the future. This compendium of research and best practices explains how successful institutions have translated this call to action into tangible results.

The decision to consolidate or merge higher education institutions is never easy, and the process is nearly always painful and costly. But given the potential benefits, and current fiscal realities, leaders need to consider mergers in their long-term strategic plans.