Budget deal changes loan-collection policies. Two changes involving the collection of federal student loan debt would contribute about $5 billion in savings to the broad budget deal announced last week. The compromise worked out by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) would reduce the compensation that companies receive for rehabilitating defaulted student loans made under a now-defu...
Pell Grants subject of House hearing on Higher Ed Act. The House Education and the Workforce Committee's Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training held a hearing on Pell Grants as part of its series of hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. House Republicans expressed some doubts about recent expansions of the Pell Grant program, while Democrats vowed to defend ...
Study on frequent testing. According to a study released in the journal PLoS One, frequent testing improves overall performance in college students and reduces achievement gaps.
University use of patents. The Brookings Institute released a study that explored the ways universities try to capitalize on research and patents. The study looked at schools that licensed their patents and at schools tha...
NEBHE announces publication of the 2014 Guide to New England Colleges and Universities, the third edition produced in association with Boston magazine.
The Guide features listings for more than 250 colleges and universities throughout the six New England states, as well as tips on navigating the college applications process, an overview of financial aid options and information on NEBHE’s tu...
New England’s public colleges and universities continue to expand their program offerings under the New England Regional Student Program (RSP), which means more access for the region's residents to out-of-the-ordinary programs at reduced tuition. Students eligible under the RSP save an average of $7,000 on their annual tuition bills.
For students interested in studying and improving the hum...
House and Senate hearings on federal student aid. Both chambers of Congress discussed ways to restructure the federal government's student aid programs. The House Education and the Workforce Committee held a hearing on federal student aid and on Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on the same issue. Lawmakers discussed simplifying the administ...
Bill targets for-profit schools' funding. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act (S.1659), which would aim to make for-profit colleges and universities less reliant on federal funding. Under current law, the "90-10 rule" requires universities to get at least 10% of their funding from non-federal sources. The proposed bill would repla...
College value ranking lists on the rise. The New York Times reported that rankings of colleges' value, based on cost compared to returns, are increasing.
Children's hospitals graduate medical education payment program. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee approved by voice vote legislation (S. 1557) that would reauthorize a program that provides federal money to suppo...
College net prices stable, reports find. Last week, the College Board released reports on "Trends in College Pricing" and "Trends in Student Aid" which found that, even though the price of college has grown, the cost to students has remained stable for the past decade. The report shows that the net cost of tuition, fees, room and board for the average student at a private, nonprofit college is abo...
New data linking poverty and less pursuit of higher education. A report released by the National Student Clearinghouse provides new data showing that students from high schools serving large concentrations of low-income families are less likely to enroll or persist in college than their peers from schools with a more affluent population.
CFPB report on student loans. The Consumer Financial Protec...