While annual tuition increases are the norm across higher ed, the University of North Carolina system has bucked this trend and kept tuition level for 5 years now. Though some fees have increased in recent years, the UNC system has made a commendable effort in keeping prices low for North Carolina’s students. In 2016, the … Continue reading “Did You Know? UNC System Keeps Tuition Frozen for 5th Year”
The members of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors are charged with a solemn duty: to oversee and guide the state’s public university system. Although some of their day-to-day responsibilities might seem mundane, many of the decisions they make shape the system’s standards, values, and the extent to which the university’s dual mission … Continue reading “Don’t Rock the Boat: UNC BOG Members Rarely Vote ‘Nay’”
Now that President Biden has been sworn in as the 46th president, he wants to hit the ground running and attend to urgent priorities. One of his first moves was to extend student loan payment deferrals until October, buying time for further reforms to America’s higher education system. Deferrals will be one small part of … Continue reading “Biden Could Shake Up Higher Ed—If He Doesn’t Endorse the Status Quo”
For decades, universities have required students to fulfill a foreign language requirement. However, some research has shown that two semesters of a foreign language appears to have no meaningful effect on the language proficiency of college graduates. Putting students through language classes adds to their tuition bill, but doesn’t teach them a new skill for … Continue reading “NC State’s Quixotic Foreign Language Requirement”
When students think back to their college days, they may remember a philosophy class that made them question their life or an art class they thought would be easy, but gave them the most stress that semester. However, when graduates get a job and need to set up a retirement account, apply for a credit … Continue reading “Students Aren’t Learning Life Skills; Colleges Need to Teach Them”
North Carolina spends more on its university students than most other states. Recent data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System show that universities in only three other states and the District of Columbia receive more revenue per student from state appropriations than universities in North Carolina. In the UNC system, the average revenue per … Continue reading “Did You Know? NC Subsidies for Colleges Top 5 Nationally”
Many students since the pandemic have questioned whether they should attend graduate school or change their career plans altogether. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that 17 percent of graduate students said their career plans changed since the pandemic started. Students are now worried they cannot afford graduate school. According to a 2020 Pew Research … Continue reading “Did You Know? For Some Post-Graduate Plans, Employer Tuition Reimbursements Is the Way”
The abrupt switch to online classes was shocking for tens of thousands of students and professors across the country. Universities were then awash in refund demands from students and their parents. Students felt they deserved at least a partial tuition refund because online courses differ drastically from in-person courses. Many universities did not give in … Continue reading “Did You Know? No Tuition Refund, But a Tuition Freeze for UNC Schools”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic walloped our colleges and universities, higher education had been facing threats to existing business models for years. A great deal has been written the past few years predicting the demise of large numbers of U.S. colleges and universities. Many higher education institutions are indeed threatened. But their demise may not be … Continue reading “Saving a Struggling College Starts with the Board”
In 2014, the UNC Board of Governors voted to “place a 15 percent cap on the amount of tuition revenue that can be applied to need-based student financial aid.” After the announcement, parents were surprised to learn that they were “subsidizing those who qualify for aid.” Since then, the Board has been required to provide … Continue reading “Did You Know? UNC System Funds Financial Aid with Tuition Revenue”