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What role should college rankings play in choosing a school?

Jul 13, 2022
The rankings created by U.S. News have become very influential, but critics say prospective students should do more research.
The Columbia University campus in New York City. Last week, U.S. News & World Report said it was removing the school from its influential college rankings because of questions about the data Columbia submitted.
Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

Will tuition waivers make universities more accessible to Indigenous students?

May 2, 2022
The University of California is the latest public land grant university system to waive tuition for some Native American students. But tuition costs are just one financial barrier that keeps Indigenous people from getting degrees.
Starting this fall, tuition will be waved for students enrolled in the University of California system who are citizens of federally recognized tribes. Above, an aerial view of UCLA.
dszc/Getty Images

Should colleges help students pay for basic living costs?

Apr 8, 2022
The American Rescue Plan earmarked about $77 billion in higher education relief, with a significant chunk dedicated to helping students with costs outside tuition, including housing, food and clothes.
Above, transit passengers on the Metro C Line in Los Angeles, California.  Grants for schools made available through the American Rescue Plan are providing funds for college students' needs, like public transit or child care.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Would a new public college campus in California help provide spots for more qualified students?

Mar 31, 2022
There aren't enough seats at 4-year universities for qualified students. How can the state meet the rising demand?
Miranda Evans, special projects manager for the city of Chula Vista, stands on the site that the city has designated for a university or group of universities.
Jill Replogle/KPCC

Students face standardized test dilemma as colleges split on their use

Mar 30, 2022
Some colleges are bringing back SAT and ACT requirements. Others have dropped them permanently. What's a college applicant to do?
More than 1,800 colleges and universities in the U.S. don't require the SAT or ACT for admissions, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing says.
basar17/Getty Images

University students flock to supply chain majors

Feb 7, 2022
The pandemic boosted demand for these professionals — and upped their pay. New challenges include last-mile delivery and sustainability.
Widespread remote learning is one change the pandemic brought to higher education. New interest in supply chain management appears to be another.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Community colleges hit hardest by higher-ed enrollment slump

Jan 17, 2022
Low-income students are facing bigger barriers due to pandemic-related hardships.
COVID-19 has exacerbated some of the barriers low-income and first-generation students face when applying to college.
FatCamera/Getty Images

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Early signs suggest college enrollment could rebound this fall

Jul 5, 2021
In Maine, the turnaround is being driven by out-of-state students.
University of Southern Maine senior Fantasia Perez works as a tour guide, leading interested students across the school’s campus in Gorham, Maine.
Grace Laverriere

Some colleges and universities look to re-up their commitment to Black studies

Oct 2, 2020
Schools around the country are offering grants for research projects on anti-Black racism. And some are committing to hire more professors with expertise in the study of race.
Florida International University anthropology professor Andrea Queeley, seen here teaching on the public university's campus in Miami earlier this year, has been fighting for years for the survival of the African and African Diaspora studies program. Now the administration is committing to "enhance" it as part of a university-wide effort to battle racism and racial injustice.
Leslie Ovalle for The Hechinger Report

Colleges worry about loss of foreign student cash and skills with visa decision

Jul 7, 2020
International students are being given the option to transfer to a university that is holding in-person classes.
Georgetown University, above, is one of the U.S. colleges planning on offering hybrid classes in the fall — some in-person and some online.
Win McNamee/Getty Images