Holding Texas Colleges Accountable for Student Loan Debt and Earnings Outcomes: 2022

September 13, 2022

Andrew Gillen, Ph.D.

Andrew Gillen, Ph.D., is a senior policy analyst in the Next Generation Texas campaign and an adjunct professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Gillen’s recent work has focused on how to reform federal financial aid, how state disinvestment is a myth, and how post-college earnings and debt should be used to inform student choice and government accountability.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Gillen spent over a decade at nonprofit and philanthropic organizations researching and trying to improve higher education. He was a program officer for the Charles Koch Foundation and served in research roles for American Institutes for Research, Education Sector; the American Council of Trustees and Alumni; and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. He was also on the U.S. Department of Education’s Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance.

Andrew has a Ph.D. in economics from Florida State University and a B.B.A. (business) degree from Ohio University.

Fifty-eight low-performing programs at Texas public universities leave their students with excessive debt relative to their earnings. Policymakers should hold these programs accountable.

Key points

The typical student loan debt and post-graduation earnings of recent college graduates is now tracked by the U.S. Department of Education.
These new data can be used to evaluate the performance of public college programs on a debt-to-earnings test.
We identify 58 low-performing programs at Texas public universities that leave their students with excessive student loan debt relative to their earnings.
Students should be wary about enrolling in these programs, colleges should improve or phase out these programs, and policymakers should hold these programs accountable by withholding funding and revoking authorization.

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Andrew Gillen, Ph.D.

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