Effective public policy is vital to sustaining a high-quality, affordable and accessible American public higher education system. AASCU serves as a valued resource to its members and stakeholders throughout the nation by providing both federal and state policy research, analysis and advocacy for sound public policy that advances higher education across the United States.

This site contains AASCU’s Public Policy Agenda—an annual summary of the association’s top federal and state higher education policy priorities—as well as continuous updates, resources and publications on policy issues central to maintaining the world’s best quality and most accessible higher education system.

AASCU Federal Policy Actions

November 20, 2020
Community letter to President-elect Joe Biden that identifies executive branch actions we would like to see addressed by the incoming administration (Read) 

Community letter to Secretary DeVos urging an extension of the current suspension of payment and 0% interest for federal student loan borrowers, as well as the suspension of collections on defaulted loans (Read)

January 16, 2020
Coalition letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in support of the AIM-HIGH Act (Read) 

December 23, 2019
Coalition letter to UCCIS re: Immigration and Naturalization Benefit Request Fees (Read) 

December 17, 2019
Coalition letter to the U.S. Department of Education re: Foreign Gifts and Contracts Disclosure (Read) 

December 9, 2019
Coalition letter to House Ways and Means and Senate Finance leadership re: Kiddie Tax Scholarship Fix, Extension of Tuition Deduction and Repeal of Parking Tax and Endowment Tax (Read) 

December 5, 2019
AASCU letter to Senate HELP Leadership re: Amendments to FUTURE Act (Read) 

November 13, 2019
AASCU mentioned in Arkansas Democrat-Gazette story "DACA should cease, legal or not, court hold; UA has 34 students in program. (Read) 

November 5, 2019
Coalition letter to U.S. Department of Education Re: Foreign Gift and Contracts Disclosure (Read) 

October 28, 2019
Coalition letter to House Education and Labor Committee Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC) on the College Affordability Act (Read) 

For more Federal Policy Actions, visit Federal Policy Section 

AASCU State Policy Actions

October 5, 2019
AASCU's Thomas Harnisch quoted in Missoulian article "University of Montana enrollment decline 'severe.' but Montanans see signs of hope." (Read) 

August 15, 2019
AASCU's Luis Maldonado quoted in The Atlantic story "Alaska Still Hasn't Saved Its Universities." ( Read) 

August 9, 2019
AASCU cited in Omaha World-Herald article "UNK hopes to trigger development with new University Village neighborhood." ( Read) 

AASCU's Thomas Harnisch quoted in Education Dive article "Will U of Alaska's plan to merge its universities work?" ( Read) 

For more State Policy Actions, visit  State Policy section.