Boards do not have to wait for coming reforms to improve pricing and academic structure for students. They can have a significant impact immediately by making recognized learning portable, simplifying pricing, and reducing costs to students. Developmental education, blended and online learning, and adaptive learning are being touted as…

In August, President Bush signed the Higher Education Opportunity Act into law and in doing so completed the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The six-year effort spanned three Congresses and required 14 short-term extensions of the underlying law to ensure that student-aid benefits would remain available while deliberations continued.…

Examines the recent decision by Williams College (Massachusetts) to freeze tuition. Notes effect of the booming economy on the value of institutional endowments. Suggests that the school's exercise of price leadership is unlikely to foster the needed discussion of college pricing, but rather will be seen by peer institutions as a brief misbegotten…

This article proposes that governing boards must carefully consider the implications of the admission and financial aid policy of awarding merit scholarships, without regard for student financial need. Such tuition discounting is seen as particularly problematic for private colleges, misleading to students, and potentially disastrous for…

A July 1996 public opinion poll shows that Americans, particularly those likely to have children reaching college age, sharply overestimate the cost of a college education. As a result, some may not explore financing possibilities further. College officials must be more direct with the public about the economic realities of higher education. (MSE)

According to a recent study of 150 leading private colleges and universities, raising tuition/fees faster than the growth of family income is self-defeating. It forces institutions to divert some new revenue into financial aid, narrows the applicant pool, and undermines the social contract supporting need-based aid. (MSE)