In this week’s roundup:
Student interest in the election is high despite challenges, tuition is rising at a historically low rate even as colleges continue to cut budgets and major philanthropists are investing more in institutions serving low-income and minority students.
Stay tuned for our weekly roundup on what trends we’re seeing across institutions, how individual colleges and universities are responding to them and what national policy changes are affecting higher ed.
October 22-28
- Student interest in the 2020 election is high, despite complex state voting laws, complications from the pandemic and other barriers to traditional student voter engagement.
- Americans are divided on whether colleges that brought students back to campus made the right decision. New research this month showed that the most influential force associated with colleges’ reopening decisions was the party lean of their state.
- With a “worrisome increase” in cases, Boston University began requiring students to show a digital badge indicating they are up to date on COVID-19 testing and screening.
- Growing evidence suggests that playing sports doesn’t appear to spread the coronavirus -- but sharing a meal with teammates might.
- Deep into the fall semester, students are growing weary of “Zoom U” but are making the best of it.
- The pandemic and the resulting economic downturn is causing colleges and universities to make deep and possibly lasting cuts to close budget shortfalls.
- Tuition is rising at a historically low rate at four-year colleges, according to a College Board report. Several colleges are lowering tuition costs for Fall 2021.
- Although the U.S. labor market is gradually improving, unemployment remains high for college-age Americans.
- Admissions experts weigh in on how to change admissions practices in order to increase diversity and racial equity on campus.
- The ACT settled a class action lawsuit after the testing company was charged with disclosing disability information without the proper permission to do so.
- High-profile universities aren’t the only ones getting high-profile donations this year, as major philanthropists are investing in institutions that serve larger shares of low-income and minority students.
