In this week's roundup:
tuition is expected to rise, completing the FAFSA has turned into a competition, and more transparency is required from institutions.
February 3-9
- College completion rates have hit a new high for students according to a report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The completion rate of 62.2% for the Fall 2015 cohort is higher than the previous two years.
- Tuition is expected to rise, as several institutions are planning to increase tuition as much as 4.7%. The rise in tuition is expected to cover room and board cost increases as well as higher wages for dining hall workers.
- Brigham Young University is being investigated regarding whether its Title IX policy discriminates against LGBTQ+ students. As one of the most prominent universities in the country affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young had been criticized for discrimination for years.
- Alternate approaches to getting students to fill out the FAFSA include a competition for bragging rights among high schools. This comes after the high school class of 2021 left more than $3.75 billion in financial aid unclaimed.
- First Lady Jill Biden said she was disappointed that the Build Back Better plan will not include free community college as originally promised. President of American Association of Community Colleges Walter G. Bumphus shares Dr. Biden’s disappointment in the lack of “recognition of the benefits of investing [in] the nation’s community colleges and the nearly 12 million students they serve. Community colleges are an engine for economic development and a wise investment at the local and federal level.”
- Mount Tamalpais College, a college in San Quentin State Prison, has become a formally accredited two-year college. It is the only accredited, independent liberal arts college in the country with its main campus in a prison.
- The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the College Transparency Act, which requires that colleges collect and submit data on student enrollment, persistence, transfer, and completion rates. The goal of this legislation is to collect more information on how institutions educate students.
- Pennsylvania is calling for a 15.7% increase in its budget for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Governor Tom Wolf unveiled his 2022-23 budget which would provide $75 million to the university system as well as scholarships for low-income students.
- Florida public institutions must change their accreditors every five years, according to a new bill. The bill includes a review of potential political influence at state universities.
- Some college campuses are reducing the amount of red meat served in dining halls, in an effort to combat climate change. Brown University’s sustainability plan includes reducing red meat consumption by 25% by 2025.
