Four things to know about students’ rising interest in immediate employment and apathy towards a college degree.
A new study has found more than 80 percent of high schoolers value on-the-job training over other postsecondary options, including a four-year degree — laying bare students’ interest in immediate employment and disdain for a college education.
The study, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, surveyed more than 1,700 high school juniors and seniors, with 83 percent saying they value professional development leading to a job compared to 72 percent who value a four-year degree.
In collaboration with HCM Strategists and Edge Research, the study also surveyed more than 3,000 non-enrolled adults ages 18-30 who either chose not to attend college or left their postsecondary program.
The president’s latest proposed budget would boost the maximum Pell Grant by $750 for students at nonprofit private and public colleges. Whether and how Congress will pay for such an increase is unclear.
President Biden wants $2.1 billion next fiscal year to increase the Pell Grant and cover a funding gap in the $29 billion program that could lead to eligibility cuts if not addressed. The increase is part of a proposed 2025 budget released Monday that includes free community college and new funding for student support programs and institutions that serve underrepresented students.
Spending on the Pell program, which helps low-income students pay for college, has gone up by nearly 15 percent in the past year following a series of increases to the maximum award and changes to eligibility that expanded access to the pot of money, according to the Office of Management and Budget, which projected a $1.3 billion shortfall for fiscal year 2025. The additional $2.1 billion will help but not avert a shortfall, according to OMB projections, leaving a gap of $4.6 billion in 2026.
The deal, subtly mentioned in a letter to Arizona’s governor, left more questions than answers as the university remains under fire.
The University of Arizona is looking to completely absorb its acquired online campus, creating another twist in a saga tinged with budget woes and state government concerns.
The University of Arizona Global Campus, formerly known as Ashford University, became a fully operating unit of the University of Arizona in July 2023 after the acquisition about three years before. Online-only UAGC remained a separate entity with its own accreditation and leadership team.
Consolidating UAGC entirely into UA would change that, should the deal go through, but what that may look like—beyond further integrating the UAGC brand and its expertise into UA’s fold—remains to be seen.
Delays in processing financial aid applications could threaten the credit or viability of small private colleges that serve students who are low income or come from underrepresented groups, Fitch Ratings warned in an alert Wednesday.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid delay is one of several factors that are increasing financial pressures on these colleges, Fitch analysts wrote. Other changes include the Biden administration’s plan to make more employees eligible for overtime, a new process for mergers or acquisitions, and the Supreme Court’s decision this past June to end race-conscious admissions.
The Education Department has said it will start processing completed FAFSAs soon and begin sending students’ information to colleges by the middle of this month—which is months later than usual. The delay in processing has pushed back deadlines for when students need to commit to a college. Experts worry that issues with the rollout of the FAFSA could deter some students from enrolling in higher education.