Welcome
Delta Project Data
The Delta Project has organized data on operating spending and revenues into aggregate measures of costs per student and costs per degree/certificate produced, organized into Carnegie classifications separating public and private nonprofit institutions.
Developing data and policy tools to improve productivity and public
accountability for performance in postsecondary education.
Welcome
Welcome to The Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity, and Accountability
New Data Release: Delta IPEDS Database 1987-2007
The Delta Cost Project has released a new version of the Delta IPEDS Database, which now includes data from 1987-2007.
New Report and Resource: Calculating Cost-Return for Investments in Student Success
The Delta Cost Project has partnered with Jobs for the Future to release a report about the cost-return of student success programs, including a calculator that allows programs to determine their own cost-return from increased student retention.
- View Release (PDF)
- View Report (PDF)
- View Calculator (Excel)
New Policy Advisory: Rethinking Conventional Wisdom about Higher Ed Finance
The Delta Cost Project today released a policy advisory that examines ten myths about higher education finance.
View Advisory (PDF)
New Whitepaper on Productivity in Public Postsecondary Education
The Delta Cost Project has released a white paper that presents a new market-based methodology for estimating productivity in state public higher education systems, and compares results across the states.
View release (PDF)
View Whitepaper (PDF)
New Report Released
The Delta Project has released its newest report, Trends in College Spending: Where Does the Money Come From? Where Does It Go? This analysis presents recent trends in revenues, spending, and results in higher education, and includes state-by-state data.
- Full Report (PDF)
- Executive Summary (PDF)
- Presentation Summary (PDF)
- Recommendations for Action (PDF)
- Frequently Asked Questions
- State Data
Our Mission
The mission of the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity, and Accountability is to help improve college affordability by controlling costs and improving productivity. The work is animated by the belief that college costs can be contained without sacrificing access or educational quality through better use of data to inform strategic decision making.
The Delta Project is an independent non-profit organization committed to the creation of analytical tools to:
- Document trends in college spending;
- Understand where and why college costs are increasing;
- Translate technical accounting information into benchmarks for institutional and policy audiences;
- Identify and promote best practices that generate the greatest return on investment for access and success; and
- Promote institutional and policy strategies for improved productivity.