News account of the court's decision in the APSCU lawsuit to overturn parts of the gainful employment regulations. While the decision removed some of the specific provisions, it did not restrict the Department's ability to regulate the sector.
]]>Chronicle of Higher Education, 7/2/12
On Saturday, Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, issued a decision that vacacted several provisions of the Gainful Employment regulations released by the Department of Education last year. The decision in a suit brought by the Association of Private Sector Colleges & Universities found that the two debt repayment measures in the regulations were "arbitrary and capricious." In addition, the ruling vacated a requirement to submit data related to the debt calculation as well as a requirement to seek Department approval for all new programs.
]]>CNN Schools of Thought, 6/28/12
Opinion piece related to a recent study by the University of Tennessee that found that people who graduated with a bachelor's degree in four years saw higher wages than those who graduated in six years. The difference was about $6,000 on average. The study posited a few reasons for the difference including the head start of on-time graduates and the fact that "some employers may see a difference in aptitude between those who graduate on time and those who don’t."
]]>Inside Higher Education, 6/29/12
California's budget-related decision to reduce spending on the generous Cal Grant program will hit for-profit career schools the hardest. The "budget plan requires colleges to have a six-year graduation rate of at least 30 percent and a maximum three-year cohort default rate on students loans of 15.5 percent." Community colleges are exempt from these requirments because their students do not rely as heavily on federal loans.
]]>In a meeting today, university leaders met with members of the administration including Education Secretary Arne Duncan to "commit to providing key financial information to all of their incoming students starting next year." As part of this commitment, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking public comment on a model financial aid award letter.
]]>Brief summary of rulings by The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that agreed partially with the lawsuit filed by the proprietary school organization.
]]>Chronicle of Higher Education, 5/16/12
News coverage of hearings before a "subcommittee of the House of Representatives' Veterans Affairs Committee" where some higher education groups such as APSCU opposed the regulations introduced in Executive Order 13607. Veterans advocacy groups applauded the moves as necessary to prevent fraud.
]]>Information for Financial Aid Professionals, May 2012
The Department issued 36 Dear Colleague Letters and Electronic Announcements through May 2012 to explain and clarify the gainful employment rules. This page collects them all.
]]>A group of public university systems created the Access to Success Initiative in fall 2007 in order to improve access and completion at their schools. In fact, they set two specific goals:
This report marks the midpoint of the 10-year process. While the schools so far have improved access for underrepresented students, the success rates have not improved enough to close gaps between groups of students. In some (mostly two-year) schools, completion rates declined for these students.
]]>As many in higher education applaud recent administration and political attention to college access and affordability, the risk remains that this attention will shift from the federal financial aid system to rising tuition.
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