EdSurge
July 31, 2019 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
As many institutions are moving away from reliance on standardized test scores in the admissions process, the College Board and ACT are shifting to a more holistic approach to assess student’s academic capabilities. College Board is testing a new advisory tool called the Environmental Context Dashboard, while ACT is also providing new tools, including a test of socio-emotional skills called the ACT Holistic Framework.
USA Today
July 30, 2019 Value and Affordability
In a recent Twitter poll run by USA Today, 45% of 41,025 participants claimed cost is their primary consideration when choosing a college or university. Cost consciousness, however, is not the same as being able to afford the price of school. Another Twitter poll concluded that while 42% of future enrollees’ families were planning to use income and savings to fund their child’s education, the remainder planned to rely on a mix of loans, scholarships, and credit cards to cover costs.
The Hechinger Report
July 22, 2019 Enrollment Management Trends, Value and Affordability
As national student debt continues to climb, more than 10% of new borrowers regularly default as they leave post-secondary education. More than 60% of those in default have small loans of less than $10,000. In recent years, however, there’s been a surge in the number of students utilizing big loans to finance their education, with 17% leaving school with more than $50,000 of federal student loan debt. With this growth, scholars are identifying new types of big borrowers: lower-income adults and parents.
Education Dive
July 18, 2019 Student Success
Graduates who earned bachelor’s degrees in 2018 received an average starting salary of $51,000, only marginally higher than 2017 graduates. Research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows there has been little growth in average starting salaries since 2015.
Inside Higher Ed
July 10, 2019 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success, Value and Affordability
In an effort to boost the number of students receiving financial support for college, Texas will soon become the second state to require high school seniors to complete the FAFSA prior to graduation. Completing the FAFSA is a leading indicator of college enrollment, with ample evidence that more financial aid is associated with college completion outcomes.
Education Dive
July 09, 2019 Enrollment Management Trends
A new report from S&P Global explains that colleges with more resources and brand recognition have had an easier time navigating the increasingly competitive higher education landscape. Complementary findings in a report from the National Bureau of Economic Research found a decrease in state funding has a bigger negative impact on non-research-oriented public universities.
Inside Higher Ed
June 24, 2019 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
Georgetown University recently conducted a thought experiment to determine what would happen if college admission relied only on SAT and ACT scores. They found the use of test scores alone would result in a significantly different student body than is admitted now, challenging some ideas about affirmative action and college admissions.
Education Dive
June 24, 2019 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
A growing trend as education is turning to become more skill-based is overlaying a skills map — which details the knowledge or abilities needed for a given job — on top of the requirements for a traditional college degree. This practice ensures the curriculum is adequately preparing students, while also sending a signal to employers that graduates can meet the demands of a given job.
PBS News Hour
June 21, 2019 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
Public and private colleges and universities in California do not have the capacity to serve the number of high school graduates the state produces. In 2016, the state exported 40,000 first-time college students, creating a robust recruitment market for out-of-state and international institutions.
The Hechinger Report
June 12, 2019 Student Success
A non-profit organization is establishing partnerships between schools and companies to employ student workers. These students develop customer service skills and engage in on-the-job training while earning money to pay off tuition costs.