The Chronicle of Higher Education
February 01, 2023 Student Success, Value and Affordability
$76 billion in federal funding was used to assist colleges and students through the financial challenges of the pandemic. Over 18 million college students have received direct financial aid, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Education. Colleges were required to spend about half of their federal relief money on any aspect of students’ costs related to tuition, food, housing, healthcare, or child care. The report suggests that roughly two-thirds of students enrolled in college in 2021 benefitted from the fund.
NASFAA
February 01, 2023 Student Success, Value and Affordability
3.6 billion in Pell Grants were unclaimed in 2022 as a result of students not completing the FAFSA, a new report from NCAN suggests. The class of 2021 left nearly $3.75 billion in Pell grants unclaimed. States with the highest rates of FAFSA completion for 2022 high school graduates include Washington, D.C. at 74%, and Tennessee and Louisiana at 71% and 69%, respectively. States with the lowest completion rates include Alaska at 35%, Utah at 48%, and Oklahoma at 43%. NCAN points to the pandemic as one reason behind the significant decline in FAFSA completions.
Inside Higher Ed.
January 03, 2023 Student Success, Value and Affordability
Congress is sending more than $1.5 billion to colleges and universities thanks to earmarks and pouring millions more into student success grant programs as part of the $1.7 trillion spending package for fiscal year 2023 that lawmakers approved late last month. The bill increases the maximum annual Pell Grant award to $7,395. It’s the second increase in as many fiscal years and the largest in a decade.
Inside Higher Ed
October 13, 2022 Admissions, Student Success
The national average composite ACT score for the high school class of 2022 was the lowest in over three decades. The trend of declining average scores, however, began long before the pandemic. While more students took the exams this year, the numbers were still fewer than in 2020. There are also vast differences in the scores of students by race and ethnicity.
Higher Ed. Dive
September 08, 2022 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
Researchers found that 5.6% of undergraduate and graduate students surveyed identified as caregivers. 3.2% cared for someone who was chronically ill or aging, and 2.9% cared for a minor. These students were disproportionately women, graduate students, financial aid recipients, and enrolled part time. Such students had lower average GPAs and a higher likelihood to report depression and anxiety symptoms. It is recommended institutions proactively identify such students and design policies to minimize emotional and academic risk factors.
Inside Higher Ed
September 06, 2022 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
As institutions navigate employees’ desires for flexibility in work location and hours, there is agreement that student needs should be central to decision-making. College and university officials may not realize, however, that most students don’t expect or feel they need in-person, non-faculty staff on campus. Students indicated via a recent survey, however, that certain departments should always have at least some staff physically working on campus, such as financial aid and counseling centers.
Inside Higher Ed
August 30, 2022 Research, Student Success
A recent study found that male-female research teams produce more innovative, impactful research than all-male or all-female teams. Male-female teams publish up to 7 percent more novel papers, and are also 15 percent more likely to be highly cited than all-male or all-female teams.
Higher Ed. Dive
August 19, 2022 Student Success, Value and Affordability
A student who is a parent and works 10 hours per week at a minimum wage job cannot afford tuition and child care at a public institution in any state. On average, these students need to work 50 hours per week to meet their expenses. Increasing the federal minimum wage, doubling the Pell Grant for low-income students, expanding on-campus child care, and collecting additional data about student parents are potential strategies to help mitigate this disparity.
Higher Ed. Dive
August 04, 2022 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
Colleges with vaccination requirements reduced the number of positive cases and deaths in surrounding areas. The mandates reduced the number of deaths by 5% at four-year residential colleges, and also reduced new COVID-19 cases by 339 per 100,000 county residents.
Higher Ed. Dive
August 02, 2022 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
According to recent research from the National Student Clearinghouse, only 51% of students earned 24 or more credits in their first year of college, and only 28% of first-year students earning 30 or more credit hours. While the rate of credits earned varied based on institution type, degree sought, college readiness, enrollment intensity, and race and ethnicity, most students are not on track to graduate in four or five years.