After college, what will you earn?
If college is an investment, students should have some idea what they’ll earn with a degree in nursing or marketing or whatever from College X vs. College Y, writes Daniel de Vise in College, Inc. Soon more information will be available about post-college employment. Especially as college continues to get more expensive, students rightfully want to [...]
Community college students use Pell, not loans
Few community college students benefit from subsidized loans, I write in U.S. News and World Report. “Community college students, who tend to come from low- and moderate-income families, rely on need-based Pell grants, which, unlike loans, don’t need to be repaid.” While President Obama — and Mitt Romney — call for spending $6 billion to [...]
‘Pell runners’ steal $1 billion in aid
“Pell runners” — scammers who scram once they’ve collected financial aid — are having a tougher time defrauding the U.S. Education Department. Community college instructors are requiring more class work in the first few weeks to identify unserious students. And the mammoth University of Phoenix now requires a three-week orientation program. It was designed to help new [...]
College costs have lifetime effects
College graduates tell The Atlantic they’re afraid to buy homes because they can’t handle more debt. Courtesy of: Online College News
‘Ability to benefit’ students lose federal aid
College doors will shut for the neediest students on July 1, when federal aid is cut to would-be students who lack a high school diploma or GED. Currently, these students can take a basic skills test to prove their “ability to benefit” from college classes or successfully complete six credits. The new federal budget cuts [...]
To and through college
To raise college completion rates, students must work harder in high school and reach out for help in college, says Kai Drekmeier, co-founder of InsideTrack, in a Hechinger Report interview. Drekmeier’s company provides coaching for college students, but those who need help the most are the least likely to ask for it until it’s too late, he [...]
Veterans go to college
Most military veterans use the GI Bill to enroll at community colleges, but for-profit colleges are an increasingly popular choice.
Cut tax breaks to save Pell
Congress Should Cut Tuition Tax Breaks Before Cutting Pell Grants Again, argues Stephen Burd on Education Sector. . . . at a time when the budget axe is falling on the Pell Grant program, providing billions of dollars in tax benefits to upper-middle-income families who don’t really need the help is a luxury that the [...]
Degreeless and in debt
Students are borrowing more and graduating less, concludes Degreeless in Debt, an Education Sector analysis. A majority of first-year students now borrow to pay for their education. Borrowing has grown the most at for-profit institutions, which have the highest dropout rates. “Many of those who drop out are saddled with high loan payments even as [...]
How federal aid pushes up tuition
When financial aid flows to affluent students, college raise tuition to capture the dollars, writes Andrew Gillen of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. However, aid to low-income students, such as Pell Grants, is unlikely to push up tuition, he writes in an Inside Higher Ed essay. Aid restricted to low-income families allows students [...]
