DURHAM, N.H.—Nearly every presidential candidate in the primary race has a proposal to make college more affordable, a new analysis released by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire found.

“Driven by steadily rising college costs and student debt, the 2020 presidential campaign has put the issues of college cost and student debt on the agenda like never before,” said the authors. “Many candidates are promising to transform the federal investment in college affordability and this analysis explores the challenge of college affordability and summarizes the proposals to address it.”

In addition, Carsey will host an event Thursday, Feb. 6, from 3:30-7:30 p.m. in Huddleston Hall Ballroom to explore the topic of college affordability as well as look at how the issue is playing out on the campaign trail.

The analysis was conducted by James Kvaal, president, and Jessica Thompson, director of policy and planning, at the Institute for College Access & Success. The institute is a trusted source of research, design, and advocacy for student-centered public policies that promote affordability, accountability, and equity in higher education.

The Carsey School of Public Policy is nationally recognized for research, policy education and bringing people together for thoughtful dialogue to address important societal challenges. The school develops and facilitates innovative, responsive and equitable solutions at all levels of government and in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation, and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health, and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea, and space.