President Barack Obama will issue rules on Friday aimed at cracking down on low-performing for-profit career training colleges the administration says bury students under mountains of debt and fail to prepare them for a well-paying job.
The Department of Education will announce rules making it harder for "predatory, poor performing" schools to get federal funds, White House and department officials said on Thursday. Read more...

By Rebecca Marriage. The latest international university league tables have been published this month, confirming US domination of the higher education market, London’s growing reputation and a steady and rising performance from key Asian institutions.
Times Higher Education magazine has published its 2014 World Reputation Rankings, a list of the world’s 100 most prestigious universities – confirming the United States higher education sector’s strengthening grip on the top positions in the table.
The 2014 rankings have again highlighted an elite group of six US and UK “super-brands” that stands head and shoulders above the rest: Harvard University in first place, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in second, Stanford University third, the University of Cambridge fourth, the University of Oxford fifth and the University of California, Berkeley sixth. More...

Are for-profit colleges worth the cost? Students and employers seem ambivalent, according to survey data. Current and former for-profit students are satisfied with the quality of their schools. But they also consider the financial burden of these schools high, and alumni in particular aren't certain their degree was worth it. Many employers perceive no differences between for-profit and public sector institutions, and some are actually unfamiliar with for-profit schools. Among those who do see a difference, most say community colleges and four-year public universities do a better job than for-profits at preparing students for the workplace. See more...