U.S. colleges and universities are offering support and extending admissions deadlines to ensure applicants, especially those from low-income and other historically underrepresented backgrounds, have the time they need to consider financial aid packages.
Topics: Cost
New Mexico to invest nearly $1B in tuition-free program
This month, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law “the largest higher education trust fund in the nation,” which will provide New Mexico residents with free college tuition for decades to come.
$1B gift to Bronx medical school provides students with free tuition in perpetuity
The transformational gift to Albert Einstein College of Medicine from a former professor and widow of a Wall Street financier is the largest made to any medical school in the U.S., the college says.
The access and transparency implications of differential tuition
Colleges and universities with differential tuition policies, in which students pay more for certain majors, are working to ensure they don’t create unintended barriers for students of color and first-generation, low-income college students.
Community college students face financial obstacles to staying enrolled
A new survey of stopped-out and currently enrolled community college students finds that work obligations and college costs are major reasons why they leave their programs. Policies focused on reducing financial barriers can help.
Making study abroad more affordable
Studying abroad can be out of reach for first-generation and low-income college students due to travel and program costs. Colleges and their financial partners are working to expand access.
California becomes latest state to grant Mexico residents living near the border access to in-state tuition
A new California law allows binational students, many of whom were born and go to school in the U.S. but live in Mexico, to pay in-state tuition at participating community colleges.
Over 360 colleges pledge to give students clearer, more accurate financial aid offers
A coalition of higher education associations announced that hundreds of U.S. colleges and universities have committed to simplifying financial aid offers and sharing estimated net prices with students and their families.
Unmet financial need a major barrier to higher education for low-income students, students of color
A new analysis reveals that most families struggle to cover college costs, with students from low-income households and underrepresented groups facing the largest gaps between what they can afford and how much they have to pay to attend college.
The ‘August surprise’: When more outside scholarships lead to less financial aid from colleges
Students and families can be caught off guard when outside scholarships actually count against their eligibility for institutional financial aid, leaving them struggling to cover college costs they didn’t expect to shoulder.
Do tuition-free college programs really meet the needs of low-income students?
Many tuition-free college programs actually benefit students from middle- and high-income families more than those from lower-income households. Some states are working to change that.
Tuition discounts at private colleges and universities hit record high
U.S. colleges and universities are offering ever-greater discounts to make their institutions more affordable and attractive as they compete for students who are increasingly concerned about the value of a college education.