An elite college antitrust suit and the illusion of meritocracy

Plaintiffs in a 2022 class-action lawsuit against 17 elite colleges who allege the schools colluded in determining financial aid packages are seeking $685 million in damages.
Cornell has acknowledged that "admissions readers were, in effect, deputized in the fundraising process," says Ron Lieber of The New York Times. Above, the Cornell campus.
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With Roe v. Wade overturned, colleges prep to provide abortion medication

Oct 10, 2022
Distributing abortion medication requires resources that some schools may not have.
Barnard College announced last week that it'll start providing medication abortions next fall, joining a number of higher-education institutions.
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Blackstone sees opportunity in student housing

Apr 21, 2022
The investment firm is buying American Campus Communities, the largest developer, owner, and manager of student housing in the U.S.
Competition between student housing providers can be fierce.
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Should colleges help students pay for basic living costs?

Apr 8, 2022
The American Rescue Plan earmarked about $77 billion in higher education relief, with a significant chunk dedicated to helping students with costs outside tuition, including housing, food and clothes.
Above, transit passengers on the Metro C Line in Los Angeles, California.  Grants for schools made available through the American Rescue Plan are providing funds for college students' needs, like public transit or child care.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Would a new public college campus in California help provide spots for more qualified students?

Mar 31, 2022
There aren't enough seats at 4-year universities for qualified students. How can the state meet the rising demand?
Miranda Evans, special projects manager for the city of Chula Vista, stands on the site that the city has designated for a university or group of universities.
Jill Replogle/KPCC

Students face standardized test dilemma as colleges split on their use

Mar 30, 2022
Some colleges are bringing back SAT and ACT requirements. Others have dropped them permanently. What's a college applicant to do?
More than 1,800 colleges and universities in the U.S. don't require the SAT or ACT for admissions, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing says.
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University students flock to supply chain majors

Feb 7, 2022
The pandemic boosted demand for these professionals — and upped their pay. New challenges include last-mile delivery and sustainability.
Widespread remote learning is one change the pandemic brought to higher education. New interest in supply chain management appears to be another.
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For public good, not for profit.

Letting students work and learn during a unique college gap year

Aug 12, 2021
The program allowed students to craft their own independent study or work within a theme, like entrepreneurship or public service.
Boise State Broncos fans cheer during first half action between the Colorado State Rams and the Boise State Broncos on October 19, 2018 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.
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Some colleges and universities look to re-up their commitment to Black studies

Oct 2, 2020
Schools around the country are offering grants for research projects on anti-Black racism. And some are committing to hire more professors with expertise in the study of race.
Florida International University anthropology professor Andrea Queeley, seen here teaching on the public university's campus in Miami earlier this year, has been fighting for years for the survival of the African and African Diaspora studies program. Now the administration is committing to "enhance" it as part of a university-wide effort to battle racism and racial injustice.
Leslie Ovalle for The Hechinger Report

Dozens of Ph.D. programs are suspending admissions

Sep 29, 2020
Graduate schools are saving resources for existing students. But the temporary action could have long-lasting effects.
A student in a face mask studies outside the closed Wilson Library on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Aug. 18.
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