Higher Education Groups Issue Transfer Guidelines
By Paul Fain. Three higher education associations issued a joint statement Friday on student transfer and the awarding of college credits -- an area that has drawn increasing criticism in recent years. More...
Proposed Bill Would Grant Waivers to Accreditors
By Paul Fain. A newly proposed bill in the U.S. House of Representatives would grant broad waivers to accreditors aimed at allowing them to bypass federal requirements in order to encourage innovation and to reduce "administrative burdens." Some observers said the legislation could relate to regulatory questions about the faculty role at Western Governors University and at other competency-based education programs. More...
Study Questions Effect of Performance Funding
By Paul Fain. A growing number of states -- 35 so far -- have created performance-based funding models that tie portions of appropriations for public colleges to outcome measures such as degree production or student graduation rates. A new research paper examines results of performance-funding formulas in Ohio and Tennessee, which are home to two of the most established of such policies. More...
Federal Loan Default Rates Rise
By Paul Fain. Federal student loan default rates are on the rise after four years of declines, according to the U.S. Department of Education's annual release of loan default data. More...
Wealth Gains for Americans Who Lack College Degrees
By Paul Fain. New data from the U.S. Federal Reserve on changes in family income show that Americans without a college degree, and African-Americans and Hispanic families, had the most rapid increase in wealth from 2013-2016. However, college degree holders are still far more wealthy, as are white families. More...
Lumina and Kresge to Fund 17 ‘Talent Hubs’
By Paul Fain. The Lumina Foundation this week announced the designation of 17 cities around the country as "talent hubs," with each receiving a grant of $350,000 over three years from the foundation. The Kresge Foundation is a co-funder of the project. More...
Federal Audit Challenges Faculty Role at WGU
By Paul Fain. Education Department’s inspector general labels Western Governors as a correspondence-course provider, seeks reimbursement of $713 million in aid and may broadly threaten competency-based education. More...
Deadly Day for College Football
By Paul Fain. Two college football players died after games last Saturday, following three off-season deaths this year, while a Harvard football player suffered a neck injury and remains paralyzed. More...
Where Students Get Advice in Picking a Major
By Paul Fain. Gallup and Strada, the former USA Funds, today released the latest installment of their three-year survey project, which seeks to gauge American adults' opinions on higher education and its relationship to careers. More...
Education Dept. Confirms Initial Approval of Kaplan, EDMC Deals
By Paul Fain. The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday confirmed that it has granted initial approval to acquisitions of Kaplan University and Education Management Corp., two large for-profits. The proposed transactions by Purdue University to acquire Kaplan and create a new online university, and by the Dream Center, a nonprofit missionary group, to buy EDMC and its for-profit campus chains, both have drawn controversy. Earlier this week Buzzfeed reported that the feds had signed off on the deals, citing emails the publication obtained. More...
