In July 2025, SSTAR Lab released a report titled A Framework for Conceptualizing and Analyzing Equity and Adequacy in Postsecondary Funding Models. This framework provides a structure to guide state policymakers and administrators through the process of understanding, identifying, and assessing disparities in funding for higher education. This work was generously funded by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and the Lumina Foundation.
This framework is supplemented by an interactive dashboard, allowing users to walk through the stages of the framework using real data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
To download national and state-specific datasets underlying this dashboard, go to our download page here.
In June 2024, SSTAR Lab released a literature review titled Adequacy and Equity in Education Finance: How can K-12 contexts inform higher education? In higher education, there is growing national interest in applying the K-12 concepts of “equity” and “adequacy” into higher education funding policies. Could these concepts prove useful in addressing funding disparities in higher education? Read the report below to learn more. This work was generously funded by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and the Lumina Foundation.
In January 2024, SSTAR Lab released a report titled Designing higher education funding models to promote student success: An introduction to “capacity building” and “equity-building” funding principles. Below you can read the report, review the design principles, and access a resource guide that includes relevant literature on this topic. This work was generously funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Joyce Foundation.
