Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Senators go after ‘worthless’ college degrees

Half of students who defaulted on their loans say they shouldn’t have to pay them back.

Three Democratic senators, including the chamber’s foremost critic of for-profit colleges, are sponsoring a bill that would bar federal student aid from being used in college programs that lack state licensing, even if the school has institutional accreditation.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) this month joined Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) in introducing the Protecting Students from Worthless Degrees Act, a law that would effectively eliminate a loophole that has allowed many colleges with programs that don’t have local licensing to reap the benefits of billions in federally-backed student loans.

Many for-profit colleges, with some of the nation’s most expansive online course offerings, attain regional and national accreditation but offer unlicensed courses and programs. Even if a student graduates with degrees from these unlicensed programs, local employers are hesitant to hire them.…Read More

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Federal report slams online for-profit colleges

Harkin requested the GAO report released Nov. 22.

Undercover investigators from the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) earned course credit while skipping classes and submitting substandard work in online for-profit college programs – findings the for-profit industry has labeled politicized and unreliable.

“For-Profit Schools: Experiences of Undercover Students Enrolled in Online Classes at Selected Colleges,” a GAO report released Nov. 22, is the second government examination of for-profit colleges’ practices, which have been called into question by many in higher education and lawmakers in Congress.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), head of the Senate’s education committee, ordered the yearlong investigation in which GAO agents pretended to be online students at 15 for-profit colleges.…Read More

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For-profit colleges getting more GI Bill dollars

The University of Phoenix benefited the most from GI Bill educational money.

The new Post 9/11 G.I. bill, which substantially boosted education benefits for veterans, has been a windfall for large chains of for-profit colleges, according to figures released Sept. 22 by Senate Democrats arguing for tighter regulation of the sector.

Data on the first two years of the program show large numbers of veterans — and the government dollars that follow them — going to for-profit chains.

Of the $4.4 billion the Department of Veterans Affairs disbursed during the 2010-2011 academic year, $1 billion went to just eight for-profit schools. The top seven recipients were all for-profit institutions.…Read More

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Online counseling pushing college students toward risky private loans

More than half of private loan borrowers don’t maximize their federal student aid options.

College and university websites should require prospective students to check their eligibility for federal student aid before private loans with ever-changing interest rates are presented as a legitimate option, according to a report from a nonprofit group advocating for greater college access and affordability.

One-on-one counseling, either in face-to-face meetings or over the phone, is the “most effective” way to find college loans that won’t cost student thousands of dollars in exorbitant interest charges, while web-based counseling makes it “too easy [for students] to acknowledge receiving detailed information without actually reading or comprehending it,” said the report, published by The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS).

TICAS, a California-based nonprofit organization, is a prominent supporter of the Income Based Repayment (IBR) plan, which allows college students to adjust their federal student aid payments according to their reported income. The plan went into effect in 2009.…Read More

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Sock puppet web video can help you apply for college financial aid

The web has a growing number of free resources that can help students and parents fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which is the form that qualifies college students for grants, scholarships, and low-priced student loans, says Kim Clark for U.S. News & World Report. Unfortunately, like everything else on the web, there’s plenty of misleading and boring FAFSA videos, too. A YouTube search for FAFSA videos, for example, turns up several “webinars” that are really sales come-ons for high-priced private consultants.

I’ve searched the web for free FAFSA videos that appear to be accurate, helpful, and somewhat fun to watch. Here’s a list (in alphabetical order)…

Click here for the full story…Read More

Experts split: Are FY11 student aid increases enough?

One financial aid expert said Pell Grants would have to be doubled to increase the number of degree-holding Americans.
One financial aid expert said Pell Grant amounts would have to be doubled to increase the number of degree-holding Americans.

President Obama’s fiscal year 2011 budget includes $156 billion in student aid, a second consecutive increase in Pell Grant funds, and a lower cap for student loan repayments—but financial aid officials said the proposals fall short of policy changes that would make college universally accessible.

The president’s budget, released Feb. 1, raises Pell Grants from $5,500 to $5,710. The Pell Grant program would see a $17 billion increase under the administration’s plan; Obama boosted Pell Grants by 13 percent in his fiscal 2010 budget. The budget calls for linking Pell Grant increases to the annual inflation rate plus 1 percent, making the maximum Pell Grant nearly $7,000 in 10 years.

The administration’s student aid package marks a 60-percent increase since 2008.…Read More

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