Income-share agreements have emerged as a new financing option for colleges and nontraditional education programs. Theyâve generated excitement among those who believe that ISAs can offer a much more student-friendly form of financing. But there are also concerns that they might not be, in part due to the fact that this is a recent trend, and in part due to the fact that ISAs are still legally in a gray area and largely unregulated.
What do we know so far about from research into how ISA programs are faring? Perhaps more importantly, how do students decide to take one on, and how are they faring? And how has the pandemicâwhich has disrupted colleges and labor marketsâimpacted the momentum behind this new financial experiment?