Tag: college costs


How much should I be saving for college?

Posted on June 5th, 2015

"Every dollar saved is a dollar less borrowed. Every dollar borrowed will cost about two dollars by the time the debt is repaid." -- Mark Kantrowitz

Even though college costs are rising rapidly each year and could reach $334,000 by 2018, fewer families are saving for it than last year, according to a new survey from student loan servicer Sallie Mae. Just 48% of U.S. families are saving for their children’s college education, compared to 51% last year, MainStreet reports. Families are […]

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Room and board is the “untold story” of rising college costs

Posted on May 14th, 2015

There’s been plenty of discussion about the astronomical growth of college tuition costs over the past few decades.

But rarely do you hear about another culprit for rising college costs: room and board.

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Rising tuition, falling diversity

Posted on May 8th, 2015

"As colleges raise their tuition by $1,000, their racial and ethnic diversity decreases by almost 6 percent." -- Hechinger Report

While the government and colleges claim to be increasing access to college for students of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, a new study finds that diversity is actually decreasing at many schools. What’s the culprit? Rising tuition, which makes it more difficult for low-income students (many of whom are ethnically diverse) to afford college. Less […]

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Catholic colleges increasingly out of reach for poor students

Posted on April 27th, 2015

"It’s disturbing that institutions give money in these very difficult times to students who don’t need it and don’t focus their resources on those who absolutely need it the most." -- Kati Haycock

One of the main tenants of Roman Catholicism is to help the poor, but a new study finds Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S. are doing a poor job. The New America Foundation found that five of the 10 most expensive private universities for low-income students, and 10 of the top 28, are Catholic. […]

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Experts say federal financial aid leads to higher college costs

Posted on April 12th, 2015

"It is very unlikely, then, the the rise in tuition fees will stop without some reform of federal student financial aid programs." -- Richard Vedder

Why have college costs skyrocketed over the past few decades? According to Richard Vedder, Director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, the biggest reason for the increase in college costs has been the increase in federal financial aid. Financial aid programs not helping needy students Knowing that the federal government will increase financial aid […]

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Students face heartbreak over financial aid packages

Posted on April 8th, 2015

"Colleges should have a moral responsibility to offer sane packages that don’t saddle students with unimaginable debt to start their adult lives." -- Chris Lehmann

By now, most high school seniors have heard back from the colleges to which they’ve applied. And many, unfortunately, are likely disappointed with the financial aid package they’ve received from the schools of their choice. In many cases, students find themselves heartbroken over not being able to attend their top-choice college because their family can’t […]

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Pressure for prestige has made college admissions a circus

Posted on March 26th, 2015

Applying to and getting into college puts enormous pressure on students and families. Many students believe they need to get into the “best” (highest-ranked) college possible in order to have a chance at getting a good job after college.

Particularly among the wealthy, there’s often competition between parents as their children apply to the same prestigious colleges, Robert Reich writes in a recent piece for Slate.

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Students could save big with open-source textbooks

Posted on March 5th, 2015

"In order to reduce costs for students now, and in the future, we must break free from the traditional textbook market and deliver educational materials through an alternative model." -- Ethan Senack

There’s plenty of focus on the rising cost of college, but many people don’t realize until they get there that the extra costs, including textbooks, can really add up. According to a new report from the Student Public Interest Research Groups, switching to free or low-cost “open-source” electronic versions of textbooks could save students thousands […]

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SUNY colleges rank high nationally among public schools

Posted on February 19th, 2015

There’s been another win for the affordable State University of New York (SUNY) system.

A recent study by The Business Journals analyzed the quality of 484 public colleges in America, and several SUNY colleges ranked among the best.

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How Dartmouth’s president is trying to cut the rising cost of college

Posted on February 10th, 2015

"This historic funding model of having the costs go up that much, the sticker price go up that much, is unsustainable and probably near the breaking point." -- Dartmouth President Philip Hanlon

Given that colleges are the ones raising tuition every year, it’s not every day that you hear a college president coming out against rising college costs–especially one from an elite (and very expensive) Ivy League university. But Philip Hanlon isn’t your average college president. Rising college costs are ‘unsustainable’ Hanlon is the president of Dartmouth […]

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