Thousands of college graduates are facing a student loan crisis. The job market is shrinking, and the sour economy is preventing employers, parents and relatives from helping those who are behind on payments. Student loan defaults are at their highest rate since 1998, and likely will go higher. And though federal student loans offer some payment modification options, private loans are far more onerous, because even filing for bankruptcy rarely wipes out the debt...
...While holding down tuition may score political points for elected officials, the real impact on a student's pocketbook is often underwhelming because public-college tuition in most states is relatively low compared with private institutions. At the same time, prolonged tuition freezes can come at a price. If there is no other revenue to replace lost tuition dollars, the freezes can force institutions to cut faculty positions, academic programs, and student services. And even when states agree to offset the cost of a tuition freeze with tax dollars, colleges may have to consider much heftier tuition increases or deeper spending cuts if the state commitment evaporates after a few years. Even some students are warning that a low-priced college may not provide the highest-value education... (paid subscription required)
A month and a half after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs released its final rules for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, California's private colleges still aren't sure how much money their student veterans will be eligible to receive... (paid subscription required)
...Now it appears that a number of other universities, generally private institutions that have some of the most well regarded Ph.D. programs around, are also getting smaller. At some, but not all, of the institutions, the shrinkage will be greatest in the humanities...Some experts on graduate education view the changes as positive, possibly encouraging a new pedagogy in graduate education and helping to improve the job market for new Ph.D.'s. Others, however, worry that the smaller cohort size of some top Ph.D. programs may make it impossible to maintain certain kinds of courses and a certain kind of intellectual environment for doctoral students...
