federal government
October 31, 2014
Final Gainful Employment Rule Removes Default Rate Metric
The Education Department’s (ED) final “gainful employment rule,” which was released yesterday, will hold vocational programs accountable to just one of the two outcome metrics that were proposed in the March draft rule. Cohort default rates (CDRs) were eliminated from the legislation, meaning that debt-to-earnings ratios will be the only criteria upon which individual career education…
October 23, 2014
ED Releases New PLUS Loan Rules
It will soon be easier for students and parents with adverse credit histories to qualify for federal PLUS loans. Under new the Education Department’s (ED’s) new rules – which were released on Wednesday and are expected to take effect in March – ED will review only two years (rather than five) of a prospective borrower’s…
October 9, 2014
UW Cohort Default Rate Remains Very Low Relative to National Average
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently released its annual update on federal student loan cohort default rates (CDRs), which measure the frequency with which student borrowers at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, etc.) default on their federal loans. Although the UW’s CDR rose while the national CDR declined, the UW’s rate still remains well below…
June 26, 2014
Congress Introduces Bills to Reauthorize Higher Education Act
As the UW’s Office of Federal Relations reported on their blog, yesterday Senate Democrats released plans to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). Their proposal focuses on four main goals: Increasing affordability and reducing college costs for students, Tackling the student loan crisis by helping borrowers better manage debt, Holding schools accountable to students and…
June 18, 2014
“Degree Attainment Around the World (Cup)”
On Monday, The Equity Line posted the following piece about how the U.S. compares to the other World Cup countries in terms of degree attainment. More Than Just a Game: Degree Attainment Around the World (Cup) Posted on June 16, 2014 by Kaylé Barnes and Joseph Yeado “Defying commentators, critics, and prognosticators, the U.S. has…
May 30, 2014
Higher Ed News Roundup
Here’s a quick roundup of some of this week’s headlines in higher ed news. Report Argues Gainful Employment Rules Could Hurt For-Profits’ Students According to a study commissioned by the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, up to 44 percent of students at for-profit colleges could lose access to federal financial aid under the…
April 2, 2014
Ryan Budget Would Hurt Pell Grants and Student Loans
Representative Paul Ryan, the House Budget Chairman, released his FY15 budget proposal on Tuesday. The proposal would remove the in-school interest subsidy for all subsidized undergraduate student loans, eliminate mandatory funding for Pell Grants, and freeze the maximum Pell Grant award at $5,730 for the next 10 years. As Office of Federal Relations put it…
March 26, 2014
New Report Suggests Graduate Student Debt Deserves Legislative Attention
A recent report by New America, titled The Graduate Student Debt Review, reveals that much of the nation’s “$1 trillion in outstanding federal student debt” is the result of expensive graduate and professional degrees, rather than unaffordable undergraduate educations. The report, which analyses recently publicized data from the Department of Education, shows that around 40…
March 5, 2014
President Obama Releases His FY2015 Budget
Yesterday, March 4th, President Obama submitted his fiscal year 2015 budget request to Congress. The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) has published their analysis of the budget as has the Education Policy Program at New America. TICAS states that the President’s proposal “takes important steps towards making college affordable for Americans by reducing the need to…
January 21, 2014
News Roundup on “Increasing College Opportunity” Initiative
As you may have heard, President Obama recently announced his “Increasing College Opportunity for Low-Income Students” initiative, which aims to help more low-income and underrepresented minority students attend and complete college. On January 16th, the White House hosted a summit of the more than 100 colleges, universities, nonprofits, and foundations that made commitments to increase…
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