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The article focuses on the problems faced by working-class students in pursuing their studies in the U.S. Higher education still holds out the promise of serving as a portal to the middle class for students from low-income and working-class families. The proportion of bachelor's degrees going to working-class students has declined over the past 25 years, from about 15 percent of all BA degrees earned in 1980 to about 11 percent in 2004. The share of the degrees going to students from more affluent families has risen to 79 percent from 72 percent over that period. Working-class students are not well served. Students are essentially penalized for working long hours to pay their way through college. The price increases are taking a toll on students, who are taking on more debt than in the past. Today more than 80 percent of students have to borrow to cover their college costs. The average student-loan debt of graduating seniors has just about doubled over the last few years, from $11,343 in 1996 to $21,981. University officials believe that the higher prices may be scaring off some students from low-income and lower-middle-class families. INSET: Fixing the Student Aid Formula.

The article explores the issue of rising tuition costs in colleges and universities in the United States. Questions are raised regarding the source of the inflation, citing several complex factors including the management of operating expenses of the school and the level of cost-burden put onto the student rather than on subsidies and grants. Additional discussion is given concerning colleges' broader financial management philosophies on their productivity and efficiency, the possible impact of the credit markets, and potential for government intervention.

The article reports that many parents in the U.S. as of July 2018 are borrowing more to finance the education of their children due to rising tuition and the students already borrowed much from the federal loan program. Also cited are the average debt load of students pursuing bachelor's degrees at graduation, the average debt load of parents under the PLUS federal parental loans, and the comment of SavingForCollege.com's Mark Kantrowitz on the developments.

All along they wanted the same thing: to leave home, decorate a dorm-room wall, and shape a new life. Find out how two Texas students weathered an uncertain summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discusses their belief that the United States government needs a comprehensive overhaul of its financial aid system. The authors assert that the U.S. government needs to create a student aid program that reflects modern standards and adequately supports independent, low-income, and first-generation students. The authors present several reasons why the financial aid system being used puts independent students at a disadvantage from dependent students, and why the government should restore financial self-sufficiency standards, which would be used to determine independent student status. The authors also make the case for why student loans should be increased for low income students.

The article reports on the need for Indian Universities to charge full fees for higher education and ensure continued access by offering scholarships to indigent students. The recommendation, which was prepared by the Ministry of Education, was one of many affecting the country's university system wherein most educators recognized as having too many low-quality programs and not sufficient relevance to India's needs for well-trained graduates.

The article discusses EmpowerU, an initiative planned for the Texas A&M University system which will monitor the state's public school students from kindergarten through college graduation. The article notes how the data provided through the initiative can help address issues such a high school and college dropouts, student financial aid, and college costs in the state. It also discusses how the program will enable the university system to evaluate the quality of the teachers it graduates, explores the implications for the university system's 11 branch campuses, and mentions how reasoning, content knowledge, and diversity are a focus of EmpowerU's learning goals.

In this article the author discusses college costs in the U.S. and argues that without change to the higher education financial structure, students may opt out of attending college in the future. He comments that increased awareness of the debt of college graduates has spurred calls for legislators to act against colleges. He also discusses the Occupy protest movements, federal student loan subsidies, and state budget cuts to universities.

In this article the author discusses student aid programs in the U.S. and argues that higher education policy makers should focus on providing low-income families with incentives to save money for college. He discusses how low-income families are often hesitant to save money due to immediate financial needs and federal restrictions on public assistance and provides his suggestions on how tax code reforms and government support could emphasize college savings as part of long-term financial planning.

The article reports on a study from Moody's Investors Services showing that institutions of higher education in the United States, especially private colleges and universities, face stiff challenges in 2009 and beyond. The areas of greatest challenge were identified as increasing pressure on tuition and financial aid, losses in endowments, liquidity pressures, and volatility in variable-rate debt markets.

The article reports that rules imposed by United States President George W. Bush's administration restricting the ability of colleges to recommend loan companies to their students are being relaxed in the face of financial problems facing the loan industry. The actions have raised some concern that policy makers may be ignoring policies that hurt students.

The article reports that the College Savings Foundation, an advocate of state-sponsored college-savings plans, seeks to use a credit crunch in 2008 as an indicator that parents and policy makers should shift away from the growing use of loans by families to cover college costs. The organization says that savings are the best way for most families to avoid the burdensome costs of private borrowing and the uncertain availability of student loans and that families have been borrowing too much money to pay for higher education.

The article presents higher education news briefs. Allan Purdy, a former board member of Missouri's student-loan authority, has abandoned his push to let voters decide whether the state should sell part of the nonprofit agency's assets to pay for campus construction and college scholarships. Governor Chet Culver of Iowa has signed legislation creating the All Iowa Opportunity Scholarship. Legislation signed by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry requires that money necessary to pay for statewide scholarship programs be deducted from the state's general revenue before lawmakers are given the amount they have to appropriate each year.

The article presents the author's comments regarding the rising cost of college education in the U.S. Two-third of graduates are leaving college due to the burden of loans. After the 1970s tuition in private colleges and universities has ascended and government support for higher education, other than student loan program, has diminished. The author stresses on making it easy for students to pay for college education.

The article presents information on the cost of education at California's 2-year colleges, despite the fact that they have the lowest tuition rates in the United States. A March 2007 report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education says that many state residents with low or moderate incomes cannot afford to attend the community colleges due to hidden costs, such as housing, food, health care, textbooks, and supplies. The report estimates that tuition represents only 5 percent of the students' costs. It recommends that legislators focus on increasing state grants for nontuition expenses instead of focusing on low tuition.

The article reports that the U.S. Senate Finance Committee plans to hold a hearing next month to question whether universities are abusing their tax-exempt status. The hearing, scheduled for December 5, will examine the rising cost of college tuition and what universities are doing to curtail it, as well as tax programs designed to assist low-income students. The investigation, which has support from both Democratic and Republican leaders on the committee, follows recent inquiries led by U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings into accountability in higher education.

The article profiles Catalino Tapia, a gardener. As a gardener, Tapia spends his days cultivating greenery for wealthy Californians. When the sun goes down, the Mexican immigrant asks his clients to donate some of the green from their pockets so that some not-so-wealthy Californians can have a shot at a college education. So far, he and his fellow gardeners have collected $25,000 from about 125 of their customers for scholarships that will help low-income students. Tapia, who was eight when his own father died, regularly worked 14-hour days, first as a machine operator and dishwasher and later as a gardener, to put his son through college. He would like to make it easier for other families to send their kids on to higher education.

Reports that federal student loan borrowers are beating the deadline to consolidate loans at a lower interest rates. Suggestion that consolidation only becomes a bad value when borrowers take advantage of the opportunity to procrastinate; Advice to borrowers considering consolidation of their student loans.

Reports that Americans are happy with their higher education system, according to a June 2003 survey by the Educational Testing Service. Percentage who would pay more taxes to improve financial support for college students; Issue of tuition tax credits; Finding that many four-year colleges are lowering their price for certain applicants; Average tuition discount for private schools.

Presents two brief articles pertaining to the United States government and higher education as of January 22, 1999. Vice President Al Gore to introduce Access America for Students, a program enabling students to monitor financial aid using the Internet; Iowa's college-savings program.

The article reports on the approval of the bill on middle-income student-assistance by the U.S. Congress. The Congress's expansion became the pride of higher-education leaders. The appropriation for higher education amounted to $3.93 billion at the end of the fiscal year of 1979. Meanwhile, a bill on Medicaid payments for abortions was about to be signed by the President.