Summary: In response to a congressional request, testimony was presented concerning deaf students' education at federally assisted postsecondary schools. GAO compared information on Gallaudet College and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) to data from the four centers participating in the Regional Postsecondary Education Program for the Deaf. GAO found that Gallaudet and NTID: (1) are national schools that recruit from all over the United States; (2) classes are attended mainly by deaf students; (3) incoming deaf students' academic achievement levels were generally higher than those of the students in the regional centers; (4) per student costs were $25,300 and $21,600 respectively, with 75 percent of the costs paid by federal appropriations; and (5) student employment or continuing education rates were 84 and 90 percent respectively. GAO also found that the regional schools: (1) primarily serve commuting students from local areas; (2) have hearing and deaf students in many of the same classes; (3) offer a wide variety of subjects and degrees; (4) had per student costs ranging from $7,700 to $12,400, with federal assistance ranging from 29 to 60 percent; and (5) had a dropout rate ranging from to 23 to 54 percent. All of the schools serve students who are similar in the degree and onset of their hearing loss and suffering secondary disabilities. The regional schools and NTID stated that they are at or near capacity in providing services, while Gallaudet could accommodate 100 more students with its current funding.
