In a quiet but deeply consequential move in March, the U.S. Department of Education abruptly cancelled major research contracts and laid off dozens of staff and contractors, effectively silencing critical data collection on college affordability, student success, and outcomes after graduation.
While the federally mandated Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) remains partially intact, its survival offers only a limited picture of the national postsecondary landscape. Without the surrounding studies that contextualize and complement its findings, IPEDS risks becoming an isolated island in a sea of unknowns.
“By canceling these studies, you are taking away people’s right to know,” said Dr. Margaret Cahalan, interim director of the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education (Pell Institute). “Students have a right to know where we stand. Everybody does. And without this data, we’re flying blind.”
The Stakes: What’s Being Lost?
At risk are three flagship longitudinal studies—cornerstones of educational opportunity research in the U.S.:
- National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS): The only national dataset providing cross-sectional information on student demographics, types of aid received, and financial need. It is critical for understanding how students pay for college.
- Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS): Tracks first-time college students to determine who persists, who drops out, and why—vital insights for improving retention and degree completion rates.
- Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B): Follows bachelor’s degree recipients into the workforce or graduate school and tracks debt accumulation, employment outcomes, and long-term economic mobility.
These datasets power national reports, institutional decision-making, and policy discussions nationwide. They also serve as the foundation for the Pell Institute’s Equity Indicators Report, one of the few comprehensive resources documenting postsecondary access and success trends for first-generation and low-income students.
“There’s no replacement for these studies,” said Nicole Brunt, research associate at the Pell Institute. “Other studies are often institutional or state-level. They don’t get to the personal, individual trajectories that these federal datasets do.”
Why IPEDS Alone Isn’t Enough
IPEDS is essential. Covering over 6,000 institutions, it collects data on student enrollment, costs, and graduation rates. It’s what powers public-facing tools like the College Scorecard, giving families across the U.S. a way to compare colleges. However, IPEDS is cross-sectional aggregate data, not longitudinal. It doesn’t show what happens to students after they graduate—or fail to. It doesn’t track debt burdens or gaps across racial or socioeconomic lines.
And without NPSAS, BPS, and B&B, there’s no way to answer big-picture questions like:
- Who is attending college—and who’s being left behind?
- How do financial aid policies impact completion?
- What are the long-term earnings for students with similar degrees but different backgrounds?
A System in Freefall
The data drought is not just about research—it’s about public accountability. Leaving data collection to states risks creating a patchwork of standards and systems, exacerbating regional disparities.
“One state may do well. Another may not even try,” said Brunt. “There’s no national parity if there’s no national data.”
Even worse, the layoffs and contract cancellations hollow out the expertise behind the scenes. According to Cahalan, many contractors had decades of experience conducting rigorous, unbiased federal studies. Now, they’re gone—and with them, the infrastructure that holds educational policy accountable to the public.
With so much at stake, the Pell Institute and its allies are urging immediate action. Here’s how stakeholders can respond:
For Members of Congress:
- Reinstate funding for NPSAS, BPS, and B&B.
- Hold hearings on the consequences of cancelling national education data collection.
- Reaffirm the Department of Education’s mandate to inform the public through transparent, consistent data.
For Philanthropic Foundations:
- Support emergency funding for independent data collection and research continuity.
- Sponsor special sessions at convenings of education policy researchers, such as the upcoming Student Financial Aid Research Network (SFARN) conference, to elevate these issues.
- Commission white papers and research on the impact of losing national datasets.
For College Access and Success Professionals:
- Advocate for preserving public data at the local and national levels.
- Encourage first-generation students to pursue careers in education, research, and policy.
- Help students understand how data shapes the financial aid and higher education systems that affect their lives.
“Data shows us who we are and where we’re going,” Cahalan said. “It helps us understand student debt, income gaps, and intergenerational inequality. Without it, we don’t just lose numbers—we lose our direction.”
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries or to arrange an interview, please contact Terrance L. Hamm, associate vice president of communications and marketing at COE via email: [email protected] or call (202) 347-7430.
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