Do Tuition Controls Freeze Student Debt?

Abstract

As concerns have grown over student debt burdens, policymakers in a majority of states have placed limits on how much public universities can increase tuition in an effort to reduce student debt. In this paper, I provide the first empirical examination of whether tuition controls imposed by states are effective in reducing federal undergraduate student debt burdens and whether that effect varies by student or institutional characteristics. I find evidence that tuition freezes reduce both longer-term tuition rates and student debt, with the effects on student debt being concentrated among Pell recipients and noncompleters.

Keywords

tuition freeze tuition cap college affordability higher education policy

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