Higher education finance and public policy
Work on student loan repayment, PSLF, income-driven repayment, administrative burden, tuition-free college, and student basic needs.
Browse publications on Google Scholar ↗Research for policy, practice & public understanding
Daniel A. CollierResearch & Public Scholarship
Associate Professor of Higher and Adult Education at the University of Memphis and Research Fellow at the Princeton University Debt Collection Lab
I study how student debt, public policy, and college costs shape people's everyday lives—and turn that evidence into useful stories, tools, and guidance for the public.
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What brings you here?
Start with what you need, or browse the full research atlas below.
ForJournalistsFind story angles, plain-language findings, and media contact information.→ForPolicymakersExplore evidence, public resources, and implications for policy and practice.→ForResearchersReview research areas, methods, publications, and opportunities to collaborate.→ForStudentsLearn what I study and find accessible resources about student debt and college.→
Research atlas
Three main research arcs
Research grounded in how policy is experienced after it leaves the page.
Student Debt & Repayment
How repayment systems, balances, and changing rules shape financial security and well-being, including ongoing work with borrowers enrolled in income-driven repayment plans.
Open research pageTuition-Free College
Evaluation of promise programs, access, college completion, and the supports students need.
Open research pageStudent Basic Needs
How food, housing, and financial strain affect education, persistence, and daily life.
Open research pageResearch & public purpose
Rigorous methods. Clear public meaning.
Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research designed to inform decisions.
Context for timely public questions
Research and commentary featured by CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Money, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, NerdWallet, and The Economist.
Explore media and public scholarship →Interdisciplinary research across the United States
Randomized controlled trials, structural equation modeling, causal inference, qualitative inquiry, and mixed-methods research.
Discuss a research collaboration →About Daniel
Research that advances understanding—and travels beyond the academy.
Daniel A. Collier, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Higher and Adult Education in the Department of Leadership at the University of Memphis and a Research Fellow with the Princeton University Debt Collection Lab.
His research sits at the intersection of higher education finance, public policy, and student well-being. It focuses especially on student loan repayment, administrative burden, tuition-free college, student basic needs, and the ways public policy shapes educational and life outcomes.
Across his scholarship, Dr. Collier seeks to generate research that informs policymakers, institutional leaders, practitioners, journalists, students, and the broader public.