First-time enrollment at U.S. graduate schools increased by 1 percent between fall 2012 and 2013, driven by 11.5 percent growth in new international students and despite a 0.9 percent decrease in U.S. citizens and permanent residents, according to a new report from the Council of Graduate Schools. Read more...

The massive open online course provider Coursera is taking a more active role in shaping the content produced by its university partners. In an email to universities creating content for Coursera, the MOOC provider is asking for volunteers to create career-focused Specializations -- a sequence of courses meant to serve as continuing education. Some of the subject areas Coursera wants to expand include business fundamentals and iOS development, but also English language skills. Read more...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will hear an expedited appeal of a legal challenge that could force major changes in how the National Collegiate Athletic Association conducts big-time college sports, USA Today reported. Read more...

Enterprise resource management software providers Campus Management and Workday are both rolling out updates to their product lineups ahead of the annual Educause conference next week, and both companies are emphasizing their products' mobile features.
Campus Management launched CampusNexus, a combination of its CampusVue system and Talisma consumer relationship management software. Read more...

The inflation rate calculated specifically for higher education institutions was 3 percent for the fiscal year that ended for most colleges this summer. That's nearly double inflation rate of the previous year, according to a new report by the Commonfund Institute. The Higher Education Price Index includes salaries, fringe benefits, "miscellaneous services," utilities, supplies and materials. Read more...

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program is expected to post new draft guidance regarding the certification of pathway programs for international students today. The guidance, which is the second such draft, defines a pathway program as a “postsecondary program of study combining nonremedial and remedial coursework to prepare a student who is unable to meet the requirements for admission into a degree program.” Read more...

College enrollments dropped for the second straight year in 2013, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But those drops are but a fraction of the large gains that came first. Enrollments fell by nearly half a million -- 460,000 -- between 2012 and 2013. Read more...

By Alexander L. Wisnoski III. First-year graduate students have now settled into their new environs ready to embark on the life of the mind. They have met with advisers and department chairs, and likely gone through some formal orientation. The sessions normally address how their research money can be used (provided there is any), how to write a teaching assistant syllabus, how to write a grant application, and a number of other topics with varying levels of utility. Read more...