2023 Boot Camps

College Cost Boot Camp

January 26 – January 27, 2023

Zoom 

PNPI’s winter virtual boot camp is designed for participants interested in advancing their content knowledge on the issue of college cost. Boot camp participants are generally nonprofit, think tank, national association staff, or public policy students new to, or interested in, a career in federal higher education policy. Attendees will be provided with an opportunity to engage with their peers and current policy professionals while participating in the boot camp, and leave with a grounding in the topic. Scholarships are available for a limited number of students to attend (see “Student Scholarships” tab for more details).

The objectives for the boot camp are to:

  • Increase participants’ understanding of college cost and college price (net and sticker);
  • Increase participants’ understanding of cost of attendance and how it influences financial aid awards; 
  • Increase participants’ understanding of what drives college costs; and
  • Expose participants to provisions in current law meant to increase college affordability and reflect on past congressional attempts to contain college costs.

The College Cost Boot Camp will provide participants with an opportunity to earn a digital badge at no additional cost. Issued through Credly, badges can be added to participants’ LinkedIn profiles, social media platforms, and shared with employers. A digital badge is a web-enabled version of a participant’s credential that can be shared with future or current employers online. More information can be found under the “Earn a Digital Badge” tab.

Download the boot camp overview by clicking on the image below.

Student Registrant: $109 (must be a degree-seeking student at a federally accredited institution and must email a copy of student ID to pnpi@pnpi.org to verify student status and enrollment)
Nonprofit/Government Registrant: $289 (must register with a .org or .gov email address)
Regular Registrant: $489

Participants who cancel their registration for the boot camp by January 13th will receive a full refund minus a small administrative fee. Participants who cancel their registrations after January 13th will forfeit the entirety of their registration fee. 

PNPI offers a limited number of registration/attendance scholarships for undergraduate students (at 2-year and/or 4-year institutions) and graduate students who demonstrate both an interest in federal higher education policy and financial need. Eligibility is limited to students who can demonstrate that they are Pell recipients or Pell-eligible (more below). 

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must demonstrate financial need. Undergraduate students (at both 2-year and 4-year institutions) must have received a Pell Grant for the Fall semester of 2022. Graduate students must have received a Pell grant in their senior year of undergraduate studies verified by their financial aid award letter and demonstrate Pell-eligibility for the most recent academic year verified by a family contribution of less than $5,300 on their Student Aid Report (SAR) from the U.S. Department of Education.

• All majors/fields of study accepted, but candidates must demonstrate an interest in postsecondary education policy or practice.

• Must commit to attending all live Zoom sessions during the boot camp.

•  Boot Camp Scholarship recipients must commit to attending a zoom meet and greet with PNPI staff from 12-1pm ET on Wednesday, January 25, 2023.

• All applicants must submit an online application and all required materials no later than 5pm ET on Friday, December 9, 2022. 

PNPI is excited to provide our participants with a digital credential for participating the College Cost Boot Camp. Offered on the Credly platform, digital badges can be displayed in email signatures, on electronic copies of a resumé, and on social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. There is no fee for the badge, and acceptance of the badge lies with the participant once it is issued by PNPI.

What are the benefits of PNPI’s digital badge? Participants are provided with:

  • A web-enabled version of their credential that can easily be shared online.
  • Labor market insights that relate your skills to jobs.
  • A trusted method for real-time credential verification.

The digital badge is ONLY available to participants who attend all of the Zoom sessions and submit a completed boot camp survey at the end of the course.

All badge earners will receive an email inviting them to claim their badge after the boot camp— accepting the badge is optional. You can read more about the badge here.

January 26th & 27th 

Participants will engage in live Zoom panels and simulations with experts in the field.                                                                                                          

Live Zooms:

January 26th: 10:00-11:30amET; 11:45am-12:45pmET; and 1:45-3:30pmET

January 27th: 10:00-11:00amET; 11:15am-12:30pmET; and 1:15-2:30pmET

Cost:

Student: $109

Non Profit/Govt: $289

Other: $489

For a copy of the agenda, click the icon on the right or here.