LAO Series
Trends in Higher Education
From January 2024 through April 2025, we released six analytical reports focused on higher education trends. The reports cover trends in student access, college affordability, student outcomes, finance, faculty and staff, and facilities. The series has two main objectives. The first is to help legislators, staff, and the general public track many of the key changes that higher education has undergone over the past few decades. The second is to help legislators better navigate the future. To this end, each brief is punctuated by key issues for legislators to consider as they move forward in making higher education policy and budget decisions.
In this series: