Posts Categorized: Economy

No Vacancy (Survey, That Is)

NEBHE conducted a Student Vacancy Survey every spring from 1960 to 2009 as a public service for New England residents still looking for college space as of the traditional May 1 admissions deadline and as a measure of college application trends. A few years ago, we determined to ease out of the vacancy survey business and its vagaries; some respondents had noted that even if there were X-number...

DC Shuttle: How to Pay for Student Loan Interest Rate Extension

On Tuesday, Senate Republicans blocked a motion to proceed on the Senate Democrats' bill (S. 2343) to extend current interest rates on federal student loans for one year. With a vote of 52-45, the cloture motion failed to garner the needed 60 votes to proceed. Republicans objected to Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-NV) refusal to allow a vote on the Republicans' alternative legislation (S. 2366). ...

DC Shuttle: To Hold Down Student Loan Interest Rates, Congress Weighs Cuts to Health Law, Closing Tax Benefits for Oil and Gas Cos.

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats introduced a bill (S. 2343) to extend the current interest rate on subsidized student loans for one year beyond the July 1 expiration date. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the cost of a one-year extension to be $6 billion, which the bill would pay for by ending a tax benefit for S corporations. Under the bill, shareholders of these corporations w...

Heap of Debt: Will Student Loan Interest Rates Go Up?

Americans now owe more on student loans than on credit cards, auto loans and mortgages, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the U.S. Department of Education. For the first time, student loans taken out in 2011 exceeded $100 billion with total student loans surpassing $1 trillion. Mounting student debt has forced many students to drop out, resulting in the low college-complet...

Kanter to Lead Meeting at Northeastern U on Obama Higher Ed Proposals

U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter and other senior officials will discuss the Obama administration’s college affordability and higher education policy reform proposals at a "town meeting"  scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, at 4 p.m. at Northeastern University's Cabral Student Center.The meeting will offer an opportunity for students, families, advocates, financial a...

DC Shuttle: Tuition Rose in 2011 to Make Up for Cuts in State Support; New Tools for College Readiness, Aid

State and local spending on higher education fell to an average of $6,290 per full-time student in 2011—its lowest level in 25 years, according to a study released by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO). Total funding for higher education from state and local sources fell by $1.3 billion between FY2008 at the beginning of the recession and FY2011. During tha...

DC Shuttle: Fed Watchdog Now Accepting Complaints on Private Loans

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced March 5 that it will now accept complaints from borrowers about problems with their private student loans. These problems could include difficulty with taking out a loan, repaying an existing loan or handling a loan which has gone into default. Under the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, the CFPB has the authority to oversee private, non-ban...

Addressee Unknown: One in Three College Students Transfer Within Five Years

One-third of all students who began their postsecondary education in 2006 transferred (before earning a degree or certificate) to a different institution within a five-year period, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.The report reveals that the majority of transfers occurred in students' second year, regardless of the direction of transfer (vertical, ...

DC Shuttle: Ten States Including Mass. Get No Child Left Behind Waivers; Grad Record Exams Soar, Especially in India, China

On Thursday, the White House granted the waiver requests of 10 states, including Massachusetts, to opt out from the requirements of the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) law. As passed, NCLB requires school districts to demonstrate through testing proficiency in reading and math skills for all grades by 2014. Many have called the NCLB law too unrealistic to implement, and a number of states have indic...

Remember Access? Dissed Concept Gets a Boost Amid Focus on Degree Completion

The term "Access" has acquired a bit of a Rodney Dangerfield complex since back in the day when I suggested: "If one word captures the range of compelling issues that the New England Board of Higher Education should focus its energy on at the start of the new century, the word is access." The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) wants you to know that access still deserves respect,...