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”
All students enrolled in UNC system institutions are required to have health insurance coverage. They also pay a Health Services Fee to their university. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield, The UNC System endorses a cost-effective Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) that covers additional health care expenses not included in the Student Health Fee. This … Continue reading “Did You Know? North Carolina Students Pay For Health Services Twice”
“I’m hoping Dr. Jill becomes the surgeon general, his wife. Joe Biden’s wife. She would never do it, but, yeah, she’s a hell of a doctor. She’s an amazing doctor,” proclaimed actress and co-host of The View Whoopi Goldberg last March. After someone alerted Whoopi to the fact that “Dr. Jill” has a doctor of … Continue reading “Jill Biden and the Doctoring of Doctoral Degrees for Nondoctors”
When students pay tuition, they also pay a mix of mandatory and optional fees. One constant headache for students has been paying for a parking permit to leave their car on campus. In the University of North Carolina system, parking prices can vary greatly. Parking passes for schools such as North Carolina State University and … Continue reading “The High Cost of Campus Parking”
It only took a global pandemic to force public and private universities to cut their spending. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that about 650,000 jobs were cut in the higher ed sector—a 14 percent decline. An analysis from The Chronicle of Higher Education on the budgets of about 100 top colleges pegged their losses … Continue reading “Did You Know? COVID-19 Budget Cuts Hit Students and Profs, Not Admins”
Student loan debt has received more attention lately, but one aspect has been left out of the debate: parents taking on loans for their children. While undergraduate students generally can only borrow $12,500 each year, Parent PLUS loans have no such limits. This is the first year that the U.S. Department of Education has shared … Continue reading “To Fight Student Loan Debt, North Carolina Schools Need to Stop Pushing Parent PLUS Loans”
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”
Last week, Congress approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, a $2.4 trillion spending package that includes $23 billion in aid for public and non-profit colleges and universities. The relief package will provide about $286 million in new Higher Education Emergency Relief Funding (HEERF) to UNC system schools. Of that amount, almost $90 million is … Continue reading “Did You Know? UNC Schools Will Get Millions in COVID-19 Funding”
The year 2020 brought changes that colleges would have never made by choice. Enrollment declines, remote classes, and dramatic employee cuts (for faculty and some staff alike) were unthinkable a year ago. But, for the sake of the future, more work remains. Below are some priorities the Martin Center staff would like to see catch … Continue reading “Reforming Higher Ed in 2021”
Students listened to public health advice for 2020: stay at home. A report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that transfer students fell by 8.1 percent compared to fall 2019. That was more than three times the 2.4 percent decline in overall student enrollment. Rather than make a change in an uncertain environment, … Continue reading “Did You Know? In 2020, Students Stopped Transferring”