Report: Good Information about College Costs Can Boost Access

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Low-income students are only one-eighth as likely as their wealthier peers to graduate from college.

This statistic, from a 2015 report by the Association of American Colleges & Universities, is the product of a variety of factors. But one of the biggest driving forces is a lack of information.

So how can colleges and universities clarify financial information to help reduce barriers to higher education for low-income students?

The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has a few ideas.

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Study: Nearly 20% of Master’s Degree Earners Attended a Community College

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Nearly one out of every five students who earned a master’s degree last year initially entered higher education through a community college, according to data released this month by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

In addition, 11 percent of graduates from doctoral-research programs started out at a two-year school.

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Report: Grant Aid Fails to Keep Up with Rising College Costs  

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The net price of attending college continued to rise in 2017-18, while growth in grant aid slowed, national data shows.

The findings are highlighted in two reports — Trends in Student Aid and Trends in College Pricing — released last month by The College Board.

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Survey: Colleges Report Decline in International Student Enrollment

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Preliminary figures from fall 2017 support earlier data showing that the number of international students studying in the US has flattened after more than a decade of growth.

American colleges and universities reported a 6.9 percent decrease in the number of new international students pursuing higher education in the US this fall, according to survey data released this week by the Institute for International Education (IIE).

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Patrick O’Connor Selected for School Ambassador Fellowship

Patrick O’Connor

A NACAC past president is one of six educators selected for the US Department of Education’s School Ambassador Fellowship program.

Patrick O’Connor, associate dean of college counseling at Cranbrook Schools (MI), will lend his expertise to conversations about national education policy as part of the program.

Other fellows selected for the 2017-18 cohort include educators from Colorado, Wyoming, California, and Washington, DC. This year marks the first time in the program’s 10-year history that a school counselor has been selected for the fellowship.

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Report: International Student Enrollment Shows Signs of Flattening

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The number of international students studying at US colleges and universities hit an all-time high of 1.08 million during the 2016-17 academic year.

But data captured in the most recent Open Doors report suggests that those numbers are beginning to flatten after more than a decade of continued growth.

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Coalition App to Provide Fee Waiver for Veterans

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A new initiative from the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success seeks to boost college-going rates among members of the US armed forces.

Starting next year, a group of Coalition colleges will waive their application fees for veterans and current service members applying for the 2019-2020 academic year.

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List Shows Where Students Can Self-Report Test Scores

In an effort to make the college application process more affordable, a growing number of US colleges and universities now allow students to self-report their test scores.

With help from counselors and students, The Princeton Review is tracking the trend. A list of institutions that accept self-reported scores is posted on the company’s blog.

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Colleges Pitch in to Offer Students Paid Internships

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Macalester College (MN), Amherst College (MA), Pace University (NY), and the University of Chicago are among a growing number of institutions that offer stipends to students who pursue unpaid internships.

The strategy, featured in a recent New York Times article, is growing in popularity because it allows low- and middle-income students to foster critical connections in their field of interest without worrying about making ends meet. According to data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, roughly half of all interns are offered a job by the company where they worked.

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Regular updates on NACAC and the world of college admission counseling. For more information about NACAC, visit nacacnet.org.