25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College

The Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP) is an independent, nonprofit research center based in Washington, DC that is dedicated to researching public policy and economic issues relating to postsecondary education. CCAP aims to facilitate a broader dialogue that challenges conventional thinking about costs, efficiency and innovation in postsecondary education in the United States. This paper presents 25 ways to reduce college costs. The table of contents is presented as follows: Section One: Use Lower Cost Alternatives contains the following: (1) Encourage More Students to Attend Community College; (2) Promote Dual Enrollment Programs; (3) Reform Academic Employment Policies; (4) Offer three year Bachelor's Degrees; and (5) Outsource More Services. Section Two: Use Fewer Resources, contains: (6) Reduce Administrative Staff; (7) Cut Unnecessary Programs; (8) End the "Athletics Arms Race"; (9) Overhaul the FAFSA; (10) Eliminate Excessive Academic Research; (11) Streamline Redundant Programs at the State Level; and (12) Promote Collaborative Purchasing. Section Three: Efficiently Use Resources, continues with: (13) Improve Facility Utilization; (14) Increase Teaching Loads; and (15) Encourage Timely Degree Completion. Section Four: Exploit Technology to Reduce Costs, contains: (16) Move More Classes Online; (17) Reduce the Cost of Textbooks; (18) Digitize Academic Libraries; (19) Outsource Email Services; (20) Utilize Course Management Tools; (21) Ease the Transfer Process among Public Institutions; (22) Reform Financial Aid; (23) Reform Accreditation to Reduce Barriers to Entry; (24) Subsidize Students, not Schools; and (25) Promote Competition Based on Value, Not Reputation. (Contains 23 tables, 24 figures, and 643 footnotes.) [For the summary, "A Summary of: 25 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College," see ED536145.]