Resources

Basic Needs Gaps Increase the Risk of College Stop Outs

February 5, 2026

Rising living costs and unmet basic needs, such as food, housing, transportation, and childcare, are creating an affordability gap that forces many students to stop out of college before earning a credential, with disproportionate impacts on student parents, students of color, Pell-eligible learners, and community college students. Drawing on national data and institutional examples, this fact sheet highlights that basic needs and emergency aid supports improve student persistence, completion, and belonging, and outlines federal policy solutions to strengthen and sustain these supports to advance equitable access and student success.

Public Comment Letter Regarding the Proposed Addition of the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) to IPEDS

December 15, 2025

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) submitted the following public comments to the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed addition of the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for the 2025–26 academic year and beyond.

The December letter focuses on aspects of the proposed ACTS data collection, particularly lowering the admissions-rate threshold for reporting exemptions and clarifying the definition of non-need-based aid, so the requirements better reflect how open-enrollment institutions operate. The letter also recommends limiting reporting to data that institutions can readily access to support consumer decision-making.

Advancing Access and Success in Higher Education for Military-Connected Learners

October 30, 2025

In partnership with Today’s Students Coalition, CHEPP has published a new report that outlines the unique barriers faced by military-connected learners and the strategies that higher education institutions can use to address these barriers and support military-connected learner success. The report also offers a set of federal policy recommendations to further support these learners.

Public Comment Letter Regarding the Proposed Addition of the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) to IPEDS

October 14, 2025

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) submitted the following public comments to the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed addition of the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for the 2025–26 academic year and beyond.

SNHU’s October letter focuses on how new data collection should apply to institutions with high acceptance rates, recommends that all institutions report data on applications, acceptance, and enrollment, disaggregated by gender and race, and raises that some newly proposed data such as GPAs and SAT scores are not feasibly reportable.