Paying for College
Education news, analysis, and opinion about how students and families finance college tuition, including through student loans, Pell Grants and other financial aid
College & Workforce Readiness
This Is Not a Good Time to Fall Off the College Track. Students Are Doing It Anyway
Fewer students in the Class of 2021 are applying for college financial aid, continuing a drop that started last year.
College & Workforce Readiness
A New Worry From the COVID-19 Crisis: Paying for College
Fewer students are filing financial aid applications this year, as the pandemic continues to disrupt college plans for high school seniors nationwide.
College & Workforce Readiness
Higher-Ed. Legislation Bubbling in Congress
It may be a slow time for K-12 activity on Capitol Hill, but you can't say the same about higher education: In the last several weeks, both Democrats and Republicans have introduced bills designed to address college access, costs, and other policies.
College & Workforce Readiness
Does Higher Ed Really Pay Off? New Gates-Funded Commission Aims to Find Out
As the cost of college rises and students go deeper into debt, families are increasingly asking whether higher education is worth the cost. A new commission is tasked with helping to answer that question.
College & Workforce Readiness
4 Things You Need to Know About 'Free College' Proposals
"Free college" proposals are multiplying like rabbits as Democratic presidential candidates jump on board with the idea. But these plans vary widely. And most don't make college "free."
College & Workforce Readiness
Why Don't Students Apply for Financial Aid?
What's the biggest reason high school students don't take advantage of federal financial aid for college? A new study sheds some light on the dynamics behind that missed opportunity.
College & Workforce Readiness
How One Teacher Makes 'Impossible' College Dreams Possible for Students
Many of Beau Baker’s brightest students in Louisville, Ky., entered high school thinking college was not for a first-generation kid like them. Baker is working to change that.
College & Workforce Readiness
Financial Aid by Phone: Doing the FAFSA Gets Easier, in a Glitchy Kind of Way
A new, mobile-friendly version of the federal financial-aid website made its debut this week, but not without a few glitches.
Federal
Are the Right Students Applying for Federal College Aid?
Campaigns by states and school districts to persuade more students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid have largely been a success. The problem: too few of those students come from high-poverty schools.
College & Workforce Readiness
Testing, Bachelor's Degrees and More: the Most-Read 'High School & Beyond' Posts of 2017
The most-read blog posts of 2017 show a wide-ranging interest in financial aid, the value of high school diplomas and bachelor's degrees, and, yes, testing screwups.
College & Workforce Readiness
FAFSA Hacker Pleads Guilty to Trying to Get Trump Tax Info
A Louisiana man has pleaded guilty to federal charges in a hacking scheme that shut down a key piece of the federal financial aid system earlier this year.
College & Workforce Readiness
Proposed Higher-Ed Revamp Could Shake Up Student Aid, Teacher Prep
Republicans in Congress want to simplify student aid forms in their rewrite of the Higher Education Act. But they also would end student-loan forgiveness programs that help some teachers, and would shut off funding for teacher-preparation programs.
College & Workforce Readiness
Financial Aid Awareness and Counseling Enhanced Under GOP Higher-Ed Bill
A Republican bill to overhaul the Higher Education Act would require schools to notify students by 10th grade that financial aid could help them afford college. It also requires "enhanced" financial-aid counseling.
College & Workforce Readiness
Mobile FAFSA to Debut in Spring 2018
The U.S. Department of Education plans to roll out a mobile app for the FAFSA in the spring of 2018.