Higher education finance is generally considered “inside baseball”—not just to students, families, and taxpayers, but often to college faculty and staff as well. Increased transparency on institutional expenses, revenues, prices, and educational outcomes can lead to greater affordability, quality, and public accountability. And more granular data can drive more meaningful and actionable conversations about practices that facilitate educational quality and student success while also holding down costs for student and family consumers.
Public policies should facilitate making relevant data about revenues, spending, and student outcomes—especially at the program-level—more accessible to stakeholders.