An examination of different methods of paying for higher education with an emphasis on an income-contingent approach. The paper applies this method to a real-world institution, Radford University in Virginia. The limitations of this method and gender disparities in higher education are also considered. The author\u27s entry essay for the 2014 Undergraduate Research Awards is included

Hensly, Catherine

English

Hollins University

Higher Education, Higher Costs: An Income-Contingent Approach

To complete my economics major,  I knew I would have to complete an extensive research paper during my senior year. It sounded simple enough,  or at least straightforward,  but it proved to be much more easily said than done. From deciding what topic to pursue,  determining how to research it,  and developing my own angle about it,  I was able to complete the assignment and only after pouring my passion for the subject into the work. Relying heavily on the research and writing skills honed during my three years of undergrad,  I remained open to critique and revised extensively to develop the paper submitted for this award. My preliminary research concentrated heavily on finance. Derivatives and their regulation had piqued my interest during a lecture the previous semester,  so I pursued that avenue over the summer and beginning of the term via JSTOR. But the more I researched through the library catalogs and journal collections,  the more I realized I was in over my head. After careful deliberations with my fellow classmates and advisor,  I began redirecting my efforts elsewhere. Not knowing exactly what else to focus on,  though,  I quickly became lost in the extensive resources available to me. By sheer happenstance,  I stumbled upon an editorial commenting on a new style of payment to fund higher education in Oregon. With so many friends regaling me with tales of woe and financial aid gone awry,  

Catherine Hensly

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