Hard Times In Florida: UF Slashes Jobs, Enrollment

According to this article in the Orlando Sentinel, the University of Florida is in hunker-down mode.  UF is slashing undergraduate enrollment by 4,000 students, laying off 138 faculty and staff members, and eliminating some courses and degree programs to make up for the loss of $47 million in state money.
The sweeping cuts announced Monday by [...]

Number of Student Loan Providers Continues To Drop

According to this article in the Boston Globe, two more major lenders have stopped issuing student loans. 
New York-based CIT had already stopped offering private student loans last year.  Now, it will stop issuing even the government-guaranteed student loans.    NorthStar, a nonprofit organization in St. Paul, will “temporarily suspend” processing applications for federally backed Stafford, PLUS, [...]

Is There A RIGHT Way To Study Abroad?

Well, there are better ways to do it, and better times to do it, but study abroad is valuable even under the “worst” circumstances (living and studying with other Americans, traveling with other Americans, and avoiding contact with locals or time alone.)
And don’t get me started on those $50,000 full-year abroad experiences (which would cost you [...]

Education’s Naughty & Nice List: Student Loan Scammers Most Grinch-like

The New American Foundation featured an interesting post by HigherEdWatch.org listing education’s Naughty and Nice players for 2007. 
In a year rocked by student loan scandals, it’s not surprising that some of the naughtiest ones are those who skimmed millions of dollars from students via high-priced loans.
Very, very Grinch-like indeed–and something tells me we shouldn’t hold our [...]

Finally! Top Universities Consider Making College More Affordable

Since Harvard announced its plan to offer more grants and scholarships to students from middle-income families, other universities are jumping on the bandwagon.
This is great news!  I’ve felt for a long time that all it would take is one or two universities offering more aid to trigger a shift in the way top private universities [...]

Sizzling Discussion: Are Elite High Schools And Ivy League Degrees Worth the Sacrifice?

First off, let me say that if you have the money and/or the leverage (legacy, prof, whatever) to get your kid into a top private high school or Ivy League college AND–this is important–your kid is totally into it and really, really, really wants to go, then by all means, go that route.  That’s your choice.
But [...]

Another Sad Story About the Mindless College Admissions Dance

Last night, I met with a young woman and her mother here in Buenos Aires.  The young woman is a delightful student who is studying at a university here.  Her mother is visiting her.  They shared their story about preparing for college.
L did everything right.  From her freshman year, she took the toughest courses, loaded up [...]