Higher Ed’s Accountability Moment
Jennifer Cowley
August 20, 2025
With an ROI rule coming into force, higher ed must respond with responsibility and intention, Jennifer Cowley writes.
Higher education institutions must increasingly hold ourselves accountable, not only for what our students accomplish on campus, but also for what they do or don’t do afterward: the jobs they take, the salaries they earn and whether they reliably pay back their student loans. When we talk about student success, we must expand the discussion to include careers, paychecks and financial stability.
This push for accountability isn’t coming just from within. Universities face external pressures as well, from the drumbeat of surveys showing American families are increasingly skeptical of higher education to state and federal governments demanding evidence of the return on their investments. It’s time we better align our outcomes with what the economy demands and the nation needs, placing greater emphasis on the real-world success of our graduates.
