higher education
Why Alabama can’t control college tuition costs
This story first appeared in the Alabama Reflector. States have varying degrees of control over the tuition price of their public higher education institutions. Alabama has none. Under Alabama law, higher education institutions set tuition and fees for students. The state government cannot control those increases, and one of the legislature’s education budget chairs says moving […]
Nearly half the states now allow in-state tuition for immigrant students
When Cristian Dubon Solis was getting ready to graduate from a Boston high school in 2020, he started planning to apply to college. It was only then he realized that as an immigrant lacking permanent legal status, he wouldn’t qualify for in-state tuition at Massachusetts state universities, nor for state-sponsored financial aid. With no way to […]
Campus diversity will be a struggle without race-based admissions, history shows
States that have tried to enroll more Black and Hispanic students in state universities without using race-based admissions policies have seen the numbers of those students slip — especially at elite institutions. Nine states had affirmative action bans before last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking it down nationwide. Those states and others have tried […]
More states are giving students more money to pay for community college
As the idea of free community college gains traction across the country, some lawmakers have gotten bolder in their concepts — expanding existing programs or pitching legislation that would offer free college to anyone. The latest example is Massachusetts, where Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s 2024 budget includes $20 million to expand the state’s free community college program to […]