Support the fact-based journalism you rely on with a donation to Marketplace today. Give Now!

Textbook costs getting hard to cover

Apr 15, 2008
A growing chunk of college costs is the price of textbooks, on which the typical undergraduate spends $900 a year. So a group of college professors is calling for low-priced and free texts online. Congress is getting involved, too. Jill Barshay reports.

Higher prices land on school lunch trays

Apr 14, 2008
Rising food prices are making most everyday shoppers a bit more cost-conscious. So imagine what it's like for people who are trying to buy healthy foods for schools' hot-lunch programs. Sarah Gardner reports.

Consolidating student loans

Mar 28, 2008
If you're sitting on a mountain of student loans, doing nothing for a few months might actually be your best move. Tess gets the details from Anna Maria Andriotis.

Teaching Iraqi children to look ahead

Mar 25, 2008
Three-quarters of a million Iraqis displaced by the war are in Jordan. They're spread throughout the local communities, where they've had to find places to live, enough to eat, and an education for their children. Alisa Roth reports.

Combo ID/debit cards snare students

Mar 21, 2008
Some universities are offering students ID cards that do double duty as debit cards. Lisa asks Kathy Chu about the controversial move.

Keeping doors open for students

Mar 14, 2008
Congress is concerned about an imminent crisis in the student loan industry. Jeremey Hobson looks into the subprime crunch's spillover into educational funding and why some lenders are closing up shop.

No funds for biomedical breakthroughs

Mar 11, 2008
The National Institute of Health has been flat for the last five years. Today, a group of researchers is warning of the potential losses a weak NIH budget can cause for the future of biomedical research. Jeremy Hobson reports.

For public good, not for profit.

Sharia student loans

Mar 7, 2008
Avoiding interest has forced some Muslim student loan seekers to get pretty creative. Rico Gagliano learns about financing higher education under Sharia law.

Refugees in Jordan's schools

Mar 7, 2008
When Ayssir's family moved from Baghdad to Amman, Jordan, the children weren't allowed to enter the public school system. But how could the family afford private school? (Last in a series)

China vows to fight bureaucracy

Mar 5, 2008
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to fight inflation and government bureaucracy, which have been pushing the cost of living up for the Chinese working class. Bob Moon reports on whether his words will result in real reforms.