Increased Oversight of Tuition Assistance Program is Needed
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is calling for expanded education quality review procedures after auditing the Department of Defense’s (DOD) oversight of the Military Tuition Assistance Program. The Military Tuition Assistance Program provided $517 million in tuition assistance to approximately 377,000 service members in fiscal year 2009. These funds help service members pay for higher education. The GAO found that DOD review of the quality of academic courses and services was too narrow. Although 71% of the courses…
More Financial Need, Less Student Aid
The economic downturn has shrunk college endowments creating financial pressures for colleges. Some colleges are responding to the financial downturn by changing their financial aid policies in ways that raise costs for wealthier families. Other colleges are adjusting “need-blind” admissions policies and admitting fewer students who cannot afford to pay full tuition. A shift to “need aware” policies grants admissions advantage to students from affluent families. Just when more students than ever…
Senate Bill Would Preserve Pell Grant Funding
Senate Democrats have introduced a spending bill for Fiscal Year 2011 that maintains the current maximum Pell Grant – $5500. The House-passed spending bill seeks to cut the maximum Pell Grant award by more than $800. Currently, the federal government is operating under a continuing resolution that is set to expire on March 18th.
Are Financial Worries Making College Students Sick?
The American Freshman: National Norms for 2010 presents troubling results about the financial concerns college freshman face. The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA reports that 4.9 percent of incoming college freshman say their father is unemployed, a record number. The incoming students surveyed also report emotional health at its lowest point since UCLA first asked the question, 25 years ago. More Incoming Students Face Financial Stressors The recession seems to be affecting student’s choice of colleges. …
Class action case against Sallie Mae moves forward
Class action case against Sallie Mae moves forward. Higher Ed Watch reports on suit over private loan practices. http://ow.ly/46zTg
