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
Student debt relief advocates gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023, as the court heard arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan.
Student debt relief advocates gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Feb. 28, 2023, as the court heard arguments over President Joe Biden's student debt relief plan.
Patrick Semansky/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Will Decide Fate of Student Loan Relief: What Teachers Need to Know
The AFT and NEA remind the justices in briefs that teachers carry significant student debt and the pandemic made things worse.
Mark Walsh, February 28, 2023
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6 min read
Young man writing college or university application form with laptop with scholarship document on desk next to him.
iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Many Students Don't Fill Out the FAFSA. Here's One Practice That Could Help
New data suggests that meeting with a school counselor could make a difference.
Sarah Schwartz, February 2, 2023
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4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Searching for Common Ground: Student-Loan Forgiveness and the Cost of Higher Ed.
Who is responsible for the high cost of higher education? And will the student-loan forgiveness plan solve the rising cost?
Rick Hess, October 27, 2022
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6 min read
Hand holding a graduate's cap turned upside down and full of money.
DigitalVision Vectors
College & Workforce Readiness What the Research Says More Students in Class of 2022 Seek Financial Aid for College
Financial aid applications may be an early sign of students regaining interest in higher education post-pandemic.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 13, 2022
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2 min read
Illustration of student loans.
alexsl/iStock/Getty
Federal Biden's Student Loan Forgiveness: How Much Will It Help Teachers?
Advocates say Black educators—who tend to carry heavier debt loads—won't benefit as much.
Ileana Najarro, August 24, 2022
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5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion How to Make College More Affordable? Try the Charter School Model
A new organization is exploring how to make space for new colleges to emerge that also challenge the status quo.
Rick Hess, July 18, 2022
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6 min read
Araceli Alarcon and Nathanael Severn, seniors at San Luis Obispo High School, pictured in downtown San Luis Obispo, Calif., on June 7, 2022.
Araceli Alarcon and Nathanael Severn, seniors at San Luis Obispo High School, in San Luis Obispo, Calif., will be the first in their families to attend college. While the pandemic complicated their plans, both teenagers persisted in their path to start college this fall.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness In Their Own Words Stories of Tenacity: 3 First-Generation College-Bound Students Keep Their Dreams on Track
The pandemic upended college plans for more than a million young people, but not these seniors.
Catherine Gewertz, June 9, 2022
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6 min read
Illustration of syringe tied to stick
Getty
Student Well-Being Minnesota Offers Kids $200 and Scholarship Drawings to Get Fully Vaccinated
Minnesota is offering 12- to 17-year-olds who get COVID-19 vaccines a $200 reward and a shot at $100,000 worth of college scholarships.
Christopher Magan, Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.), October 19, 2021
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2 min read
Conceptual photo illustration of a young person looking toward a closing door
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Collection COVID-19 and the Class of 2021
The pandemic has led to a rocky transition for aspiring college students in the Class of 2021, especially if finances are tight.
October 18, 2021
Conceptual Illustration of young person sitting on top of a financial trend line.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision<br/>
College & Workforce Readiness From Our Research Center Helping Students Plan How to Pay for College Is More Important Than Ever: Schools Can Help
Fewer and fewer high school graduates have applied for federal financial aid for college since the pandemic hit.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 18, 2021
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4 min read
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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College & Workforce Readiness Sponsor How Teachers Can Help Solve the Student Loan Debt Crisis
The student loan crisis in this country has become way too serious to ignore. Right now, federal student loan debt in the U.S. is coming ...
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Teaching Profession Teachers May See Student Loans Forgiven Under New Ed. Dept. Changes
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, long criticized for its complicated and poorly communicated processes, is getting an overhaul.
Madeline Will, October 6, 2021
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4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion Can College-Going Be Less Risky Without Being 'Free'?
Rick Hess speaks with Peter Samuelson, president of Ardeo Education Solutions, about Ardeo's approach to make paying for college less risky.
Rick Hess, August 25, 2021
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5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion An Economist Explains How to Make College Pay
Rick Hess speaks with Beth Akers about practical advice regarding how to choose a college, what to study, and how to pay for it.
Rick Hess, June 10, 2021
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6 min read
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