THE INSTITUTE FOR COLLEGE ACCESS & SUCCESS

The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to make higher education more available and affordable for people of all backgrounds. By conducting and supporting nonpartisan research, analysis, and advocacy, the Institute aims to improve the processes and public policies that can pave the way to successful educational outcomes for students and for society.

Since it was established in 2004 and launched the Project on Student Debt in 2005, the Institute has become a widely known and highly respected source of research and policy expertise on financial aid, college affordability, and related issues. Our research and analysis has shaped public understanding of financial aid and influenced policy and practice at the federal, state, and college levels. The Institute conducts an annual state-by-state analysis of student debt and has developed and maintains an online database that is the only publicly available, comprehensive source of campus-level data on student income, race, ethnicity, and loan usage. Available at economicdiveristy.org, it allows for comparisons across institutions, states and regions and is widely used by researchers, reporters, policymakers, and college administrators around the country.

The Institutes ongoing objectives are to: increase funding for and access to need-based grant aid; strengthen consumer protections for private student loan borrowers; ensure that eligible borrowers learn about and take advantage of Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness; simplify the financial aid application process; maximize community college students’ use of financial aid; improve the availability and usefulness of higher education data; increase colleges’ commitment to and accountability for affordability for low- and middle-income students; and promote college practices and communications that lead to student access and success.