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Highlights from Higher Ed: 529 Account Rule Changes, the “College Wealth Premium” and the Liberal Arts ROI
529 account funds can now be used to repay student debt and finance apprenticeships A federal law enacted in December expands the scope of the tax-advantaged college savings accounts known as 529 plans by allowing their owners to pay off up to $10,000 in beneficiaries’ Read More
At Burrell College, CAS™ Liberates an Admissions Staff from a Steep Administrative Burden
Does it take a village to process an application? Indeed, several staff members in an admissions office need to devote their time to managing the various details behind application processing, reflects Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (BCOM) Director of Admissions Courtney Lewis. “Having to process Read More
Highlights from Higher Ed: State Spending and Starting Salaries on the Rise
States to increase higher ed spending by 5% in 2020 Overall funding of higher education by state governments will rise by 5% this year, which amounts to the biggest increase in five years. However, almost half of that increase is attributable to spending by just Read More
Plenty of Fish in the Sea
Where have all the applicants gone? That’s exactly what a growing number of college admissions staffers across the country have been wondering in recent years, with applicant pools dwindling and enrollment pressures rising at the same time. Only 38% of college admissions officers are meeting Read More
Seven Game-Changing Admissions Developments of the Past Decade — and One Trend to Watch in 2020
What a difference a decade makes! On January 1st, 2010, many people were still lauding the possibility of a post-racial America, fewer than half of U.S. adults used social media and the mention of Aunt Becky from Full House triggered nothing but warm nostalgia. The Read More
Highlights from Higher Ed: Rising Costs, “Stopped-out” Students and a Closer Look at Adversity Scores
Costs increased 2.5% for higher ed institutions in FY2019 The cost of operating U.S. colleges and universities rose again during the 2019 fiscal year, albeit at a lower rate than in recent years. “Higher ed inflation,” as measured by the Commonfund Institute’s Higher Education Price Read More
Student Activism Is Raising the Bar for All of Higher Education
The news is full of young people taking action on public issues. Students are marching to pressure public officials to act on climate change and to take action to reduce the likelihood of school shootings. They are reminding us that Black Lives Matter. They are Read More
The Top Seven Topics in Higher Ed in 2019
Every week, Liaison’s Highlights from Higher Ed blog post series summarizes news and research reports about important topics affecting admissions professionals, institutional leaders, students and other stakeholders in the world of higher education. Reviewing the top stories of 2019, we noticed that several themes consistently Read More
Highlights from Higher Ed: Fewer Adult Students, Rising Costs and Lingering Questions about a Master’s Degree “Bubble”
Has the master’s degree bubble burst? The fact that the “explosion of new master’s degree programs in recent years hasn’t corresponded with a surge in students” is fueling debate about whether “the master’s degree market is a bubble that has ‘already burst.’” Those who believe Read More