Research & Advocacy

Getting Good Value from a College Education

Student Loan Debt and Income-Based Repayment Increases

The headline of the story is noteworthy - "I Am A College Student With 0% BAC" but for reasons that may not be obvious. According to 93,034 student responses to the 2015 ACHA National College Health Assessment approximately 21.3% of students have never used alcohol.

One peek in your son's room confirms that he's in the midst of the college application process. His floor is littered with school viewbooks, post-it notes obscure his computer screen, and his test score summary has gone AWOL. One thing is certain: if colleges are looking for well-organized students, he'll be getting mostly thin envelopes. You wonder how he'll ever pull it all together!

About Eating DisordersAccording to a 2004 online study conducted by Screening for Mental Health, Inc. 59.34% of students screened tested positive for symptoms of an eating disorder. Of those who scored positive, 96% were not in treatment for an eating disorder at the time of the screening.

Last week, in this column, I wrote about the upcoming “road to reauthorization” for the Higher Education Act, certain provisions of which are already being considered in the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee, chaired by Rep. John Boehner of Ohio.

College Parents of America has been an active contributor to the topic of student health. There are many topics to consider. We try to make it simple and easy for college parents with three college student health tips for parents.

In our twenty years of efforts to serve college parents, there are a few noteworthy voices who provided valuable insights into what is required by families, students, institutions and communities to promote & define college success.  That's why we are pleased to showcase an article below by Brandon Busteed who successfully served as the Executive Director, Education and Workforce Development, at Gallup.

Top 5 Things You Should Know Before Getting An Education Major There are so many different types of fields that you can major in. Some fields aren’t too popular, while others will be booming for some time then die out, and then there are some that are always needed and are consistent. One of the […]

How we can ask more specific questions to ensure that our young adults aren’t struggling in silence and be honest about what they’re experiencing in higher education. When asking “How are you?” to your young adult, have you ever wondered if there’s something more behind the curtains of their “I’m fine” answer?  I wish I […]

The college application process is a stressful time for both students and their parents: college visits, narrowing down the choices, SAT or ACT exams, applications, essays, recommendations, and then – finally – your child finds that she has been put on the waiting list for her first choice college.  Yes, it may be discouraging, but all may not be lost.  There are some things that your “almost” college student should – an

College Parents of America has a long history of making observations regarding the insanity of the college admissions process, but nothing really prepared our editors and contributors for the college admissions scandal that was announced yesterday by the FBI. It is very disappointing and disconcerting to those of us who promote the value of higher […]

The College Admissions process can be daunting for both students and parents. Throughout the process, there will be many terms and acronyms that may become confusing. We have put together a list of Acronyms and Terms to help guide you through the College Admissions process! College Admissions Acronyms ACT – The letters do not mean […]

William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, are the authors of “The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives and report in their New York Times article that "thirty percent of freshmen won’t return for their sophomore year, and the wheels can start to fall off as early as Thanksgiving." They suggest that what your college student needs most is practice running his or her own life — and college is a risky place to do that for the first time."

Did you know that 75% of all mental health conditions begin by age 24? That’s why the college years are so critical for families to be prepared to understand and speak about mental health issues. 

We are pleased to share the results of the 2016 biennial survey of college parents. The findings of this report are consistent with our prior the two prior research studies and confirms that “college families are an important source of support for increasing student success and college completion.” The 2016 survey of more than 510 College Parents conducted by College Parents of America through internet channels and subscribers in late June of 2016. We have a high degree of confidence that the survey is directionally correct and will be valuable to colleges and universities as well as other stakeholders interested in increasing rates of college completion.

All college parents and families will benefit from the insights from the annual Trends in Higher Education report by the College Board.  The capacity of families to contribute to an ever-growing cost of college is a pressing matter that is seen best in the context of general wage stagnation contained in this 2017 report.

A college degree is a powerful asset," said Jack Remondi, President & CEO of Navient, in a statement. "But, borrowing for college and not graduating, has lasting negative consequences.

College Parents of America has been an active contributor to the topic of student health. There are many topics to consider. We try to make it simple and easy for college parents with three college student health tips for parents.

The share of young Americans living with parents hit a high of 40.9% in 1940, just a year after the official end of the Great Depression, and fell to a low of 24.1% in 1960. It hovered between about 31% and 33% from 1980 to the mid-2000s, when the rate started climbing steadily.