College, Inc.: Aid


Posted at 01:28 PM ET, 07/25/2012

No ‘magic solution’ to college affordability
By Daniel de Vise
Two factors, high labor costs and competitive discounting, drive up the sticker price of college, the guest blogger opines.

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:28 PM ET, 07/25/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Finance | Tags:  college affordability, financial aid

Posted at 12:23 PM ET, 07/16/2012

St. Mary’s College moves to shore up selectivity

By Daniel de Vise
A strategic shift aims to jump-start stagnant admissions at Maryland’s vaunted public liberal arts school. A longtime admissions officer has moved on.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:23 PM ET, 07/16/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Admissions, Aid, Finance, Liberal Arts, Publics | Tags:  St. Mary's College of Maryland, liberal arts

Posted at 10:42 AM ET, 07/11/2012

Five college admissions tips for the A-minus student

By Daniel de Vise
The Ivies aren’t biting, and merit dollars are scarce. But even in the affluent suburbs, there are ways to turn the admission process to your favor.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:42 AM ET, 07/11/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Admissions, Aid, Finance, Rankings | Tags:  college admissions, college rankings

Posted at 04:47 PM ET, 05/23/2012

Wesleyan president: A degree in ‘three marvelous years’
By Daniel de Vise
A three-year degree is among the options one prestigious liberal arts school is weighing to make its product more affordable.

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:47 PM ET, 05/23/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Liberal Arts | Tags:  college affordability, college tuition

Posted at 10:49 AM ET, 05/15/2012

State grant aid goes increasingly to the wealthy
By Daniel de Vise
In the District, only 6 percent of state grant funds are awarded based on financial need, according to a new report.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:49 AM ET, 05/15/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  higher education, financial aid

Posted at 12:34 PM ET, 04/24/2012

The case against lowering student loan interest rates
By Daniel de Vise
A guest blogger argues that low-low interest rates on student loans feed runaway college pricing and waste tax dollars.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:34 PM ET, 04/24/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance | Tags:  student loans, Obama, higher education

Posted at 11:52 AM ET, 04/20/2012

Ohio State’s Gordon Gee proposes “differential” tuition
By Daniel de Vise
What if public colleges charged different rates according to how much each student’s courses cost them to teach?

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:52 AM ET, 04/20/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  higher education, college affordability

Posted at 06:36 PM ET, 04/17/2012

Five steps to a prudent student loan
By Daniel de Vise
Don’t be afraid to borrow a modest sum for college, our guest blogger advises.

By Daniel de Vise  |  06:36 PM ET, 04/17/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Finance | Tags:  student loans, higher education

Posted at 09:09 AM ET, 04/11/2012

ACT College president defends late aid payments
By Daniel de Vise
Federal officials say the college intentionally kept aid dollars from students; college leader says the problem was an obsolete record system.

By Daniel de Vise  |  09:09 AM ET, 04/11/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Finance, For-profit colleges | Tags:  student aid

Posted at 12:49 PM ET, 03/20/2012

Choosing a college without knowing its cost
By Daniel de Vise
Many public universities don’t yet know what they’ll charge in 2012-13, and some privates haven’t posted their rates. Yet, students are urged to decide early.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:49 PM ET, 03/20/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Admissions, Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  college tuition, college admissions

Posted at 02:39 PM ET, 03/15/2012

Obama college-cost plan may not work as prescribed
By Daniel de Vise
The president wants to penalize colleges that charge too much. But the plan might punish low-cost schools, too.

By Daniel de Vise  |  02:39 PM ET, 03/15/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  Higher Education, College cost, Obama education plan, Colleges and universities

Posted at 04:37 PM ET, 03/13/2012

Rising college prices: Is federal policy partly to blame?

By Daniel de Vise
Vassar president opines that spiraling costs are partly a response to misdirected federal incentives.

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:37 PM ET, 03/13/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  Obama budget, higher education

Posted at 10:54 AM ET, 03/06/2012

Student loans surpass auto, credit card debt
By Daniel de Vise
New report shows one-third of all student loan debt is held by those under 30.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:54 AM ET, 03/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  Obama, student loans, higher education

Posted at 10:33 AM ET, 02/28/2012

Are car loans, college loans so different?

By Daniel de Vise
Guest blogger asserts that a college education is a good investment — better, in the long run, than a car. Is a modest student loan such a bad thing?

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:33 AM ET, 02/28/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  financial aid, student loans, Obama

Posted at 12:33 PM ET, 02/23/2012

St. Mary’s College secures major gift for need-based aid
By Daniel de Vise
The $1 million donation for need-based aid is a significant boost for a public liberal arts college with a $30 million endowment.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:33 PM ET, 02/23/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Development, Liberal Arts | Tags:  St. Mary's College of Maryland, philanthropy, financial aid

Posted at 02:46 PM ET, 02/06/2012

Guest post: A nontraditional university for nontraditional students
By Daniel de Vise
By some estimates, only a quarter of college students are “traditional,” in that they live on campus and study full time. Upper Iowa University offers a model for the other three quarters.

By Daniel de Vise  |  02:46 PM ET, 02/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Online

Posted at 10:46 AM ET, 01/31/2012

Report faults Va. colleges for spiraling tuition
By Daniel de Vise
Tuition and fees at 17 private institutions now exceed two-fifths of median household income in the commonwealth.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:46 AM ET, 01/31/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Attainment, Finance, Public policy, Research | Tags:  College of William and Mary, University of Virginia, University of Richmond, Washington and Lee University, George Mason University

Posted at 05:25 PM ET, 01/27/2012

College leaders question Obama’s tuition plan

By Daniel de Vise
The president proposes to reward or punish colleges on the merits of their tuition policies.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:25 PM ET, 01/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy

Posted at 04:11 PM ET, 01/18/2012

Should William and Mary students pay ‘market rates’?
By Daniel de Vise
President Taylor Reveley says the university should think about a more market-based tuition structure — but it’s just an idea, for now.

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:11 PM ET, 01/18/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Admissions, Aid, Finance, Public policy, Publics | Tags:  College of William and Mary

Posted at 03:00 PM ET, 01/12/2012

DCTAG official: Choose your college with care
By Daniel de Vise
Some colleges do better than others as stewards of D.C. Tuition Assistance Grants. Two-fifths of grantees graduate overall.

By Daniel de Vise  |  03:00 PM ET, 01/12/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Attainment, Public policy

Posted at 02:46 PM ET, 01/11/2012

Population of needy college students is exploding
By Daniel de Vise
One state official shares data that show a 50 percent rise in the population of needy college students in a single year.

By Daniel de Vise  |  02:46 PM ET, 01/11/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance

Posted at 12:41 PM ET, 01/09/2012

Is higher tuition what the public wants?
By Daniel de Vise
Some colleges have had success with highly publicized campaigns to reduce their annual tuition. But the strategy can backfire.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:41 PM ET, 01/09/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Admissions, Aid, Finance, Marketing, Rankings, Privates

Posted at 09:24 AM ET, 01/03/2012

Berkeley and the public Ivies: Five lingering questions
By Daniel de Vise
Further thoughts on the fiscal peril facing Berkeley and other top public universities.

By Daniel de Vise  |  09:24 AM ET, 01/03/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Administration, Aid, Finance, Public policy, Publics

Posted at 03:17 PM ET, 12/20/2011

Can the public Ivies be saved?
By Daniel de Vise
Mary Sue Coleman, president of the University of Michigan, discusses — and rejects — two radical proposals that could potentially save the nation’s top public universities.

By Daniel de Vise  |  03:17 PM ET, 12/20/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy, Publics | Tags:  University of Virginia

Posted at 10:46 AM ET, 12/07/2011

Guest post: In defense of federal student aid
By Daniel de Vise
A college president and former beneficiary of federal aid contends that the program should be seen as an investment.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:46 AM ET, 12/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Public policy, For-profit colleges

Posted at 10:08 AM ET, 12/01/2011

Ten pricey colleges that don’t leave you in debt
By Daniel de Vise
These schools cost plenty, but generous aid packages mean the average graduate carries less than $20,000 in loan debt.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:08 AM ET, 12/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance | Tags:  Howard University

Posted at 10:17 AM ET, 11/22/2011

Guest post: Cutting student aid like ‘eating our own seed corn’
By Daniel de Vise
Budget hawks in Congress see student aid as “spending,” but not as an investment, guest blogger opines.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:17 AM ET, 11/22/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy

Posted at 06:00 PM ET, 10/25/2011

Kiplinger anoints Washington and Lee a top liberal arts value
By Daniel de Vise
The University of Richmond, W&L’s lib-arts rival, also fares well on the annual list of best collegiate values.

By Daniel de Vise  |  06:00 PM ET, 10/25/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Admissions, Aid, Finance, Liberal Arts, Privates

Posted at 06:56 PM ET, 10/10/2011

College sticker shock: Is $55,000 the new $50,000?
By Daniel de Vise
Nineteen colleges now charge $55,000 or more in tuition, fees and living expenses, according to one of two new surveys of college sticker price.

By Daniel de Vise  |  06:56 PM ET, 10/10/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Rankings | Tags:  George Washington University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University

Posted at 12:55 PM ET, 10/07/2011

Guest post: Let’s be up-front about merit aid
By Daniel de Vise
A college president says his school has offered merit discounts for 20 years and thinks other schools should be transparent about such awards.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:55 PM ET, 10/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Admissions, Aid, Finance, Privates

Posted at 12:05 PM ET, 10/03/2011

Guest post: Don’t bank on the net-price calculator
By Daniel de Vise
A financial aid official contends that no one formula can predict what college will cost for each individual student.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:05 PM ET, 10/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Admissions, Finance, Public policy

Posted at 12:06 PM ET, 09/23/2011

Guest post: Get out your net-price calculator
By Daniel de Vise
By the end of October, every college in the land will provide parents an online tool to calculate the “net price” of attendance.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:06 PM ET, 09/23/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Access, Administration, Finance, Public policy

Posted at 08:30 AM ET, 09/21/2011

Survey: Admission directors increasingly favor ‘full-pay’ students
By Daniel de Vise
Colleges are more likely to take “full-pay” students, even with lower test scores.

By Daniel de Vise  |  08:30 AM ET, 09/21/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Administration, Admissions, Aid

Posted at 05:06 PM ET, 08/26/2011

Families spent less on college this year, survey finds
By Daniel de Vise
Wealthy families increasingly choose community colleges, Sallie Mae survey finds.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:06 PM ET, 08/26/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Admissions, Aid, Community Colleges, Finance

Posted at 05:39 PM ET, 08/18/2011

Montgomery College immigrant tuition challenge dismissed by judge

By Daniel de Vise
A judge has dismissed a suit that challenged Montgomery College’s practice of charging lower resident tuition to illegal immigrants who graduate from local public schools.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:39 PM ET, 08/18/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Community Colleges, Litigation, Public policy

Posted at 10:24 AM ET, 08/12/2011

SmartMoney college rankings gauge ‘value’ of public, private schools

By Daniel de Vise
A SmartMoney analysis comparing future earnings to tuition cost finds public universities are a better investment

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:24 AM ET, 08/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Rankings | Tags:  University of Virginia, University of Richmond

Posted at 05:17 PM ET, 07/13/2011

Admission dean pulls back curtain on merit aid
By Daniel de Vise
Administrator at University of Rochester analyzes merit scholarship data to affix a value to every good grade and AP test score.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:17 PM ET, 07/13/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Admissions

Posted at 10:56 AM ET, 07/12/2011

St. Mary’s College defends its tuition

By Daniel de Vise
Maryland’s public liberal arts college charges more than any other state university in the region, but less than its liberal-arts peers.

By Daniel de Vise  |  10:56 AM ET, 07/12/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy, Publics | Tags:  St. Mary's College of Maryland

Posted at 02:56 PM ET, 07/11/2011

The 12 best college financial aid policies

By Daniel de Vise
Several dozen colleges have pledged to replace loans with grants in aid awards. Here are some of the best deals, according to aid experts.

By Daniel de Vise  |  02:56 PM ET, 07/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance

Posted at 03:38 PM ET, 07/03/2011

The bottom line: which top universities have the highest net price?
By Daniel de Vise
Most of the top private national universities charge around $50,000 a year in tuition, fees and living expenses. What the average student actually pays is another story.

By Daniel de Vise  |  03:38 PM ET, 07/03/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Access, Finance, Rankings, Privates | Tags:  Catholic University

Posted at 05:01 AM ET, 06/29/2011

Will a college savings account inspire college attendance?
By Daniel de Vise
Pilot program gives KIPP students savings accounts; research suggests a kid with college savings is more likely to attend college.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:01 AM ET, 06/29/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Attainment, Research

Posted at 01:32 PM ET, 06/24/2011

Report: Only five colleges properly serve needy students
By Daniel de Vise
Report finds only five schools that serve large numbers of low-income students, charge them reasonable prices and graduate more than half their charges.

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:32 PM ET, 06/24/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Public policy, Research | Tags:  University of Virginia

Posted at 02:11 PM ET, 06/23/2011

Student aid rising faster than tuition
By Daniel de Vise
Tuition is up 4.6 percent at private colleges, according to industry survey, but aid is up 7 percent.

By Daniel de Vise  |  02:11 PM ET, 06/23/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Finance, Privates

Posted at 05:50 PM ET, 05/31/2011

Merit aid can ease college sticker shock
By Daniel de Vise
Colleges offer so much aid today that the average student pays just 58 cents on the dollar of published tuition and fees.

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:50 PM ET, 05/31/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Admissions, Finance, Marketing | Tags:  financial aid

Posted at 11:12 AM ET, 05/23/2011

Tuition discounting hits record high
By Daniel de Vise
The average student now pays 58 cents on the dollar of published college tuition.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:12 AM ET, 05/23/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Finance, Research | Tags:  NACUBO, financial aid

Posted at 04:46 PM ET, 05/11/2011

O’Malley restores merit grants to 350 seniors
By Daniel de Vise
The students found out in recent days that their $3,000 Distinguished Scholar grants had been yanked.

By Daniel de Vise  |  04:46 PM ET, 05/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  Maryland higher education, student aid

Posted at 11:19 AM ET, 05/09/2011

D.C. program helped put DCPS on the college map
By Daniel de Vise
DC-CAP has brought the city’s public school system close to the national average in college attendance.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:19 AM ET, 05/09/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Aid, Attainment, Public policy | Tags:  DC-CAP, D.C. public schools

Posted at 11:23 AM ET, 04/11/2011

Budget deal funds Pell, doesn’t block for-profit rules
By Daniel de Vise
The cuts to need-based Pell grants that had been widely feared by Pell supporters did not happen.

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:23 AM ET, 04/11/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, For-profit colleges, Public policy | Tags:  for-profit colleges, Education Department, Pell Grants

Posted at 01:12 PM ET, 04/07/2011

Shutdown would mean little to colleges
By Daniel de Vise
In theory, some student aid programs would grind to a halt. In practice, the dollars likely would continue to flow.

By Daniel de Vise  |  01:12 PM ET, 04/07/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Aid, Public policy | Tags:  Education Department, public policy, student aid

Posted at 12:39 PM ET, 04/05/2011

Pell cuts would come late in the admissions game
By Daniel de Vise
Cuts to the federal aid program come after big state schools have already told students how much aid to expect.

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:39 PM ET, 04/05/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Finance, Public policy | Tags:  student aid, Pell grants, public policy

Posted at 12:22 PM ET, 03/02/2011

Cal State's Reed: Don't cut Pell grant program
By Daniel de Vise
California State University broke with years of tradition in the 2008 downturn by adopting competitive admissions. For the first time in a long time, California students in the top third of their classes with B averages weren't guaranteed admission. Since...

By Daniel de Vise  |  12:22 PM ET, 03/02/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Access, Administration, Admissions, Aid, Attainment, Community Colleges, Finance, For-profit colleges, Public policy, Publics | Tags:  Cal State University, California higher education, Charles Reed CSU, Pell grants, higher education cuts

Posted at 02:46 PM ET, 02/27/2011

Fixing higher ed: U-Va. and U-Md. weigh in
By Daniel de Vise
In an article published last week in The Washington Post Magazine, I offered eight suggestions to "fix" higher education. After reading the article, you can rank the ideas in a poll, which you will find farther down on this blog....

By Daniel de Vise  |  02:46 PM ET, 02/27/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Administration, Aid, Athletics, Attainment, Development, Finance, Labor, Research, Technology | Tags:  UMD fixing higher ed, UVA fixing higher ed, fixing higher education, higher education reform, washington post fixing higher education

Posted at 05:39 PM ET, 02/01/2011

Pell grant set at $5,550 for next academic year
By Daniel de Vise
In a "Dear Colleague" letter today, the U.S. Department of Education set the maximum Pell Grant award at $5,550 for the 2011-12 academic year, signaling that the largest grant program for low-income students will be fully funded. It may not...

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:39 PM ET, 02/01/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Aid, Aid | Tags:  Pell grants, college aid, financial aid, student aid

Posted at 11:02 AM ET, 01/04/2011

Kiplinger: D.C. region awash in collegiate values
By Daniel de Vise
Many colleges in Maryland and (especially) Virginia have made this year's Kiplinger 100 list of top public collegiate values, delivering high quality at a reasonable price. Flagships in Virginia and Maryland capture three of the top five spots. (The University...

By Daniel de Vise  |  11:02 AM ET, 01/04/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Aid, Aid, Aid | Tags:  Kiplinger rankings, best maryland colleges, best virginia colleges, best-value colleges, college rankings, college rankings value, college values

Posted at 05:55 PM ET, 10/14/2010

2,500 UDC students don't have their federal aid checks
By Daniel de Vise
The University of the District of Columbia is two weeks late in getting federal aid checks printed for an estimated 2,500 students, essentially the entire UDC student population dependent on aid. Spokesman Alan Etter said UDC was caught unprepared this...

By Daniel de Vise  |  05:55 PM ET, 10/14/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Aid | Tags:  UDC aid, UDC aid checks, UDC student aid checks late, UDC student loan checks late

Posted at 07:30 PM ET, 09/14/2010

New U-Md. president gives $100,000 to university
By Daniel de Vise
Incoming University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh and his wife Barbara have pledged $100,000 to help U-Md. students with financial needs stay in school, according to chief university spokesman Millree Williams. According to an announcement posted late Tuesday, the...

By Daniel de Vise  |  07:30 PM ET, 09/14/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Aid, Aid | Tags:  UMD president gift, University of Maryland, University of Maryland Loh gift, Wallace Loh