The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS) is a non-profit organization founded by Lauren Asher and Robert Shireman in 2005[1] that works to make higher education more available and affordable for people in the United States. Headquartered in Oakland, California, with a satellite office in Washington D.C., it conducts research, analysis, and provides advocacy. Its work has been cited by USA Today,[2] Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, and The Atlantic.[1]
The Institute staffs the Project on Student Debt,[2] and produces an annual report on student debt in the U.S. used by journalists and others needing the most recent data on higher education.[1]
TICAS created the policy model and led the movement for what became the first widely available income-based student loan repayment plan (IBR), which President Bush signed into law in 2007.[1] In addition to being a longtime advocate of Pell grants, the organization also changed the concept of student loans to student debt.[1]
On Nov. 13, 2014 US News reported that according to TICAS About 70 percent of 2013 graduates left college with an average of $28,400 in student loan debt in the United States. There was great variation between both states and colleges: The average loan amounts were as low as $18,656 in some states, while other states topped $30,000; The average loan amounts ranged from $2,500 to $71,000 depending on the school.[3]