First weeks of school

As the costs of college have risen, so has the number of parent loans and the amount borrowed by parents. A recent Wall Street Journal article discussed this rise. Citing FinAid.org, "over 17% of graduates in the 2011-12 academic year had parent Plus loans borrowed for them, which are loans available directly from the federal government, each with an average $33,800." Just how big a rise is that from previous parent borrowing? "That's up from 13% with about $23,300 on average in the 2007-08 academic year." 

  (picture from flickr user thomashawk) 

  image by flickr user Sal Falko, cc license Today, the New York Times published the topline results of a report by the Institute for Policy Studies. The report, The One Percent at State U: How University Presidents Profit from Rising Student Debt and Low-Wage Faculty Labor, details how public universities that pay a top-25 salary for their president have experienced a faster increase in student debt levels than other public universities.

  pic (cc-license) from flickr user John Cooper With the arrival of the new year, it's great to think big... and big ideas already abound in this still-young year. Multiple colleges have announced that they will slash tuition. UC Davis is trying to showcase unique student achievements through a 'badging' system. Gallup and Purdue University are teaming up to measure student outcomes post-graduation. And a senate bill seeks more college accountability for student loans. But here's a big idea you may not have heard about: making public college tuition free for all students.