The Steinhardt Institute for Higher Education Policy seeks to define and assess the critical challenges facing colleges and universities in the present era. The Institute incorporates an international perspective in its work and supports research and dialogue that enhance our understanding of higher education as an institution that both reflects and influences social, cultural, racial and economic difference.

The Institute’s programs encourage collaborative relationships among scholars, institutional leaders and policy makers in an effort to raise public awareness about the essential roles of colleges and universities in the organization of modern societies. The Steinhardt Institute is committed to the ideal of the university as an institution that advances the public interest.

An integral part of New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, the Institute engages faculty from many fields and disciplines. Its work in the public sphere is advanced by its close proximity to New York City's influential policy, media and philanthropic organizations.