” financial aid leveraging is the act of repackaging financial aid so that it is specifically directed at students that a complex algorithm determines as most likely to make the school more money”

USM Economics Blog: Wanting to look into this, I did a little bit of Googling about Noel-Levitz to see if I could find out anything of use about them. As it mentions above, they are an “enrollment management” consulting firm- the largest in the United States. What enrollment management consulting firms tend to offer universities … Continue reading ” financial aid leveraging is the act of repackaging financial aid so that it is specifically directed at students that a complex algorithm determines as most likely to make the school more money”

If all these students are paying $50,000 in tuition, how come our college doesn’t have more revenue to spend?

Kathy Johnson Bowles: This institution charges $50,000 for tuition. We have 2,000 students. That’s $100 million. Where is it? What did the administration do with all that money? Can someone just explain it to me?” All across the country parents, students, alumni, faculty and staff concerned about and frustrated by the price of education utter similar … Continue reading If all these students are paying $50,000 in tuition, how come our college doesn’t have more revenue to spend?

Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin among 50 indicted in largest-ever case alleging bribery to get kids into colleges

Joey Garrison and Maria Puente: Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Laughlin and nine college coaches are among the 50 people charged Tuesday in what federal officials say is the nation’s largest-ever college admissions bribery case prosecuted by the Justice Department. The Justice Department charged 33 affluent parents, which include CEOs and television stars, with taking … Continue reading Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin among 50 indicted in largest-ever case alleging bribery to get kids into colleges

I Was a College Admissions Officer. This Is What I Saw.

Anonymous: But the longer I read applications, the more holes I saw in the so-called “holistic” process, and the more I discovered how much it came down to money. Not infrequently, I would pull up a student’s file, see my “Defer” or “Deny” recommendation, and then a second reviewer recommending the same thing, and then … Continue reading I Was a College Admissions Officer. This Is What I Saw.

Will Congress Penalize Colleges That Increase Tuition?

Edward Zalinsky: enator Charles Grassley of Iowa will serve as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee during the upcoming 115th Congress. Senator Grassley’s decision to lead the Finance Committee may have important consequences for the nation’s colleges and universities. Grassley, a Republican, has criticized increased tuition charges in the face of the pronounced, tax-free growth … Continue reading Will Congress Penalize Colleges That Increase Tuition?

St. John’s College announces plan to lower tuition by $17,000 a year

Laureen Lumpkin: In a move to make education more affordable for its students, St. John’s College will slash tuition by $17,000 and attempt to bolster its endowment fund. The private, liberal arts school in Annapolis is planning to install a new philanthropy-centered financial model that relies more on donor dollars, it announced Wednesday. This model … Continue reading St. John’s College announces plan to lower tuition by $17,000 a year

Bending to the law of supply and demand, some colleges are dropping their prices

Matt Krupnick: Tuition is being cut by about $25,000 this year to attract more students to Mills College in Oakland, California, one of several colleges and universities freezing or reducing tuition this fall in the face of an enrollment decline and consumer backlash. Photo: John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images It may have been one … Continue reading Bending to the law of supply and demand, some colleges are dropping their prices

Diminishing Returns for Tuition Discounting

Rick Seltzer: Attracting students with tuition discounting has its limits — and one study suggests a surprisingly large number of small colleges and universities are flirting with those limits. The study, which is being presented Friday at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting, looks at the practice and effects of tuition discounting over 10 … Continue reading Diminishing Returns for Tuition Discounting

Don’t Blame State Disinvestment Alone

Rick Seltzer: Neal McCluskey, director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, makes that argument in a new study seeking to explain increases in college and university tuition levels. It’s in some ways a middle-of-the-road finding for a libertarian think tank weighing into a debate whose different sides have long been dug in behind … Continue reading Don’t Blame State Disinvestment Alone

Private Colleges Offering Record Tuition Discounts to Lure Students

Consumer Reports: Amid all the grim news about the skyrocketing price of a college education, here’s something to celebrate: Colleges are asking students to shoulder less of the costs. In the 2015-2016 school year, the discounts on tuition that private colleges gave to students in the form of scholarships and grants hit a record high, … Continue reading Private Colleges Offering Record Tuition Discounts to Lure Students

What is tuition discounting and why do colleges do it?

Higher Ed Professor: Tuition discounting is growing in higher education. Yet, by the very nature of the practice, the concept is confusing to prospective students as well as people who have spent their careers working in colleges and universities. A recent report by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) suggests that … Continue reading What is tuition discounting and why do colleges do it?

Fat-Cat University Administrators at the Top 25

New York Times: Confronted with punishing state budget cuts, the public colleges and universities that educate more than 70 percent of this country’s students have raised tuition, shrunk course offerings and hired miserably paid, part-time instructors who now form what amounts to a new underclass in the academic hierarchy. At the same time, some of … Continue reading Fat-Cat University Administrators at the Top 25

Common App: Admissions Collusion?

Scott Jaschik: Colleges may soon have a new reason — an antitrust lawsuit — to think twice about their relationship with the Common Application. CollegeNET, which provides a variety of admissions-related services to college, some in direct competition with the Common Application, sued Common App last week in federal court, charging antitrust violations. And while … Continue reading Common App: Admissions Collusion?

Getting into the Ivies

David Leonhardt: ASK just about any high school senior or junior — or their parents — and they’ll tell you that getting into a selective college is harder than it used to be. They’re right about that. But the reasons for the newfound difficulty are not well understood. Population growth plays a role, but the … Continue reading Getting into the Ivies