Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chair Burgess Owens (UT-04) led a hearing in Washington focused on deceptive pricing practices in higher education. The session examined reforms aimed at increasing transparency for students and families regarding college costs.
Rep. Owens began the hearing by discussing the difficulties families face in understanding the real price of attending college. He stated, “The process of determining the true cost of college is clouded in mystery. Colleges and universities routinely advertise prices that bear little resemblance to what families ultimately will pay. … Yet when it comes to college degrees, an investment that can rival or exceed the cost of a home, students are left in the dark. … Students and families deserve honesty and transparency.”
During the hearing, Rep. Owens questioned Lee S. Wishing III, Vice President for Student Recruitment and Chief Marketing Officer at Grove City College, about tuition discounting practices. Wishing described these practices as higher education’s “best kept open secret.” He said, “It’s just remarkable to see how the whole industry knows this is happening. … Everybody knows, but the students and the parents. And we have a heck of a time cutting through that morass of misinformation to help students understand what’s going on.”
Rep. Owens also asked Justin Draeger, Senior Vice President for Affordability at Strada Education Foundation, about which groups are most affected by unclear pricing systems in colleges and universities. Draeger responded, “Three groups stand out. First are low-income and first-generation students, they’re the least likely to have family experience to help them navigate a really complex system. The second are adult learners, they’re debt averse and want to understand the ROI the most. And third are middle-income families, who earn too much to qualify for maximum need-based aid but don’t make enough to pay the sticker price. … The bottom line is when students don’t understand the price, the most vulnerable ones are the ones who pay the highest cost, not just in dollars, but in lost opportunity.”
Rep. Owens closed by emphasizing why addressing these issues is necessary: “This is [an] extremely important conversation, and for many of us to understand some of what’s happening behind the curtains is very, very enlightening to say the least.”
Burgess Owens has served as U.S. Representative for Utah’s 4th district since 2021 after succeeding Ben McAdams (https://owens.house.gov/about). He was born in Columbus, Ohio in 1951 and now resides in Salt Lake City.
Owens graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1974.
