The American Council on Education names Jonathan Fansmith senior vice president of government relations

January 17, 2023

HIGHER ED DIVE — Fansmith will be charged with representing the policy interests of many American colleges, a tall order given their often competing priorities and needs. He takes over this work during upheaval within the federal government. A slim Democratic majority in the Senate and Republican one in the House all but ensures continued gridlock

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Many high school students took dual-enrollment college courses during the pandemic

January 17, 2023

NPR — During the pandemic, lots of Americans chose not to go to college, but one group did – high schoolers. NPR’s Elissa Nadworny takes us to Birmingham, Ala., for this report.

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The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators seeks more information on FAFSA simplification timeline

January 17, 2023

INSIDE HIGHER ED — The Department of Education is supposed to release an updated version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in October, but organizations representing financial aid officers and college access groups are seeking to confirm that timeline.

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Federal government walks back student loan relief approval letters for 9 million borrowers

December 19, 2022

NPR — Millions of student loan borrowers were left confused Tuesday morning after receiving an email reversing course on what they thought was an approval of their student debt relief applications. The email, from Federal Student Aid, referred to the one-time relief plan that theBiden administration rolled out in August and – in recent months – put on

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Opinion: A look at recent developments in higher education admissions

December 19, 2022

INSIDE HIGHER ED — I could certainly be wrong, but I’m thinking that the test-optional movement is unlikely to go away. While some überselective universities can require anything they want from applicants, most colleges run the risk of a decline in application numbers if they go back to requiring testing. That is especially true for

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Howard University partners with Kaplan to offer free graduate admissions test preparation

December 19, 2022

DIVERSE ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION — Howard University is partnering with Kaplan to give free test prep for graduate-level admissions exams and professional licensing exams. This test prep includes for tests such as the GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, and MCAT®, the bar exam, USMLE®, INBDE®, and NCLEX-RN®. And all Howard students interested in taking the exams

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Opinion: Early college programs for high school students help to close achievement gap

December 19, 2022

THE WASHINGTON POST — Schools evolve, just as natural organisms do. One of the newest species is the early college high school, or just early college for short. It is an increasingly popular way to smooth the awkward high-school-to-college transition that has inflicted on unready teenagers such annoyances as scary SAT tests and slick college

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A look at recent changes to income driven student loan repayment plans

December 19, 2022

INSIDE HIGHER ED — While President Biden’s one-time student loan forgiveness plan remains tied up in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Education Department is working on a more far-reaching and costly plan to overhaul how people pay back their loans.

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Opinion: How to help rural students prepare for college  

December 19, 2022

THE HECHINGER REPORT — Yet, despite the need to emphasize college readiness, the state of Ohio has taken steps to lessen the rigor of a high school education. This was done under the guise of offering other “pathways” for students whose life goals may not include college education. Let’s be clear, not everyone needs to go

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How law schools exiting US News rankings could affect the future of undergraduate rankings

December 12, 2022

HIGHER ED DIVE — In 2007, a collective of liberal arts colleges known as the Annapolis Group convened in Maryland’s capital and decided to take a jab at one of the more powerful forces in admissions: U.S. News & World Report’s yearly rankings. An exodus never materialized. But 15 years later, observers see cracks in

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