Ideas for Designing a New Affordable Educational Institution

This white paper is the outcome of a design exercise we began in the summer of 2021. Our objective was simple: to imagine a new institution that delivers high quality, affordable bachelor’s-level education in fields such as computer science and business, and, eventually, in engineering.

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We examined the many innovations of the last two decades in higher education. We considered and rejected what we think to be simplistic but misinformed panaceas such as delivering the entire program online, or eliminating humanities courses, or trying to achieve cost reduction through large class sizes. Instead, we focused on pedagogy, faculty, the academic calendar, co-op programs and stackable credentials within the bachelor’s degree. We believe there is a thoughtful and holistic way to preserve the great benefits of traditional American higher education while also addressing the pressing questions that the industry faces.

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We finalized this document in the Spring of 2022 — before President Biden announced the new debt forgiveness program in the US. Debt is, of course, a symptom of the ballooning cost of higher education, and forgiveness will offer much-needed relief to struggling students and families. However, as many commentators have noted, erasing debt does not remove the causes of debt. Nor will it address how efficacious education actually is. These are the underlying motivations for the ideas presented here.

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Finally, this document should be seen simply as what it is: a white paper. It is not a comprehensive plan. Many questions related to the business plan of an operating institution cannot be addressed here, because these depend on a number of decisions we do not address — such as location and real estate strategy. All we do is offer some key levers. This document should also not be seen as a commitment by MIT, our parent institution, to create such an institution. It is a product of our thinking in our individual, and group, capacities.