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Access and Affordability

Case for college remains strong among high school seniors

Micah Ward -
Higher ed remains the dominant postsecondary pathway, despite heightened concerns about debt and career uncertainty.
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Why college students are paying way less for course materials now

Alcino Donadel -
Annual spending on textbooks is about half of what it was two decades ago, fueled by growing demand for digital resources and discounted access programs.
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Do tuition resets work? Why new data shows you’re asking the wrong question

Alcino Donadel -
Reducing sticker price alone won't solve a college's challenges, but it can play a vital role in your institution's overall marketing and recruitment strategy.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Dual enrollment: How to enhance results for underserved students

Alcino Donadel -
One university has expanded college access to over 550 K12 schools by reducing barriers for rural and neurodivergent students.
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Earlier launch, policy shifts fuel historic FAFSA rebound

Alcino Donadel -
The class of 2026 has set a FAFSA completion record weeks ahead of schedule, marking a decisive recovery from the simplified form's initial rollout.
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Why multilingual community college students struggle—and what schools can do

Michelle Centamore -
A new report urges community colleges to rethink support systems for multilingual learners navigating English-language and academic programs.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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College costs aren’t surging. In fact, here’s how they’ve declined

Alcino Donadel -
Inflation‑adjusted net prices have dropped for virtually all students over the past decade across public and private institutions, a new analysis reveals.
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FAFSA completion reaches new heights, on track to break record

Alcino Donadel -
The rate of high school students from low-income and high-minority neighborhoods applying for financial aid has increased by over 60% since last year.
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Fewer students of color are now enrolling in elite schools

Matt Zalaznick -
The biggest drops have occurred at Ivy Plus schools, while Black and Hispanic first-year student enrollment soared at some state flagships.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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The 10 most expensive states to attend college

Alcino Donadel -
High costs for on-campus housing and board propelled New Jersey into first place for the third consecutive year, according to this ranking.
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Here are 3 reasons why this state’s public college enrollment is surging

Alcino Donadel -
Has Idaho bucked the fears of the demographic cliff? The state's four public colleges and universities experienced record gains this fall.
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What’s launching FAFSA toward historic completion rates this year?

Alcino Donadel -
Between lightning-fast completion times and innovative state policy, FAFSA completion rates are up 12% over the Class of 2023, according to the National College Attainment Network. 
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Percentage of first-generation students drops. Is it a good sign?

Alcino Donadel -
The college population is made up of 13% fewer first-generation learners than in 1996, but degree attainment has risen.
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Non-degree credentials are surging. But the data is lagging

Alcino Donadel -
Non-degree credentials have skyrocketed in popularity over the last decade, but research can't explain how students are affording them.
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Career outcomes improve for college students, but gaps remain

Michelle Centamore -
While most college graduates gain financially from higher education, many still face barriers to affordable programs that lead to meaningful work—and many good jobs remain unfilled, says report.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Why the Simplified FAFSA may finally prove its worth this year

Alcino Donadel -
Following two delayed rollouts, FAFSA got off to a record start this year and may reach one of its highest completion rates.
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How Department of Education cuts have tested financial aid offices

Alcino Donadel -
Confusion, delays and strain pile up in financial aid offices following staff reductions at the Department of Education.
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Why students in need don’t complete the FAFSA and other scholarships

Alcino Donadel -
While FAFSA filing rates are rising, many lower-income students are attending college without tapping into the full array of financial aid resources available to them.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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A simple way 3 states are inviting more high schoolers

Alcino Donadel -
Alabama, Illinois and Tennessee are now offering acceptance letters—and even scholarships—with just the click of a button.
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How to help reduced financial aid offices better support students

Alcino Donadel -
Financial aid offices are buckling under rising demands and shrinking resources, impacting student services, according to a five-year report from NASFAA.
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Nearly eight in 10 Americans believe college is unaffordable

Michelle Centamore -
Most Americans think college costs more than it does—keeping many from enrolling. A new survey says more transparent pricing could help change those opinions.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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These are 2025’s ‘best value’ colleges ranked

Micah Ward -
The Princeton Review this week released its ranking of the "Best Value Colleges for 2025," featuring private and public universities. 
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Private colleges continue to best their tuition discount rates

Alcino Donadel -
Early projections indicate that tuition discounts for first-time undergraduates during the 2024-25 academic year rose to 56.3%, according to this NACUBO survey.
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Here’s how reduced ED staffing has hurt financial aid offices

Alcino Donadel -
College and university financial aid offices strained, underequipped and slower at assisting students with FAFSA requests since the Trump administration cut staffing at the Department of Education.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Upward transfers: 2 states now look to boost bachelor’s degree completion

Alcino Donadel -
Two statewide programs across Illinois and Connecticut aim to monitor student outcomes and strengthen support for two-year cohorts.
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Here is one big way the private sector can step up amid shrinking federal support

Alcino Donadel -
Institutions will need to seek more partners in the private philanthropic space to help support student financial aid. Income-based loans are one way to maximize contributions, according to these nonprofit leaders.
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How Washington Monthly’s college ranking really promotes the inexpensive underdog

Alcino Donadel -
The D.C.-based nonprofit magazine aims to combat the cog of mainstream narratives hurting the sector's reputation—while critiquing one college ranking titan along the way.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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North Carolina’s revolutionary transfer portal forecasts a new national push

Alcino Donadel -
North Carolina students and academic advisors now can use one online portal to access the college credit transfer guidelines of nearly 100 institutions. Other states are also improving their pathways to drive degree attainment.
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How “course marking” can bring OER to the mainstream

Alcino Donadel -
Colleges and universities struggling to communicate how their OER initiative is saving students money and boosting ROI may need these four tips from the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.
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Paying for college: New insights into how families foot the bill

Matt Zalaznick -
Families reported spending $28,409 on the 2023-24 academic year, and they paid nearly half with income and savings, according to Sallie Mae. There was also clear evidence of the impacts of FAFSA troubles. 
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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A textbook case on how one university is saving students $10 million

Alcino Donadel -
The University of Houston has increased the market share of students buying course materials from the bookstore by 79%, a 62-percentage-point increase from fall 2022.
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Credit for prior learning is showing value. Should your college care?

Alcino Donadel -
Credit for prior learning is gaining traction, spelling potential leaps in equitable postsecondary access. However, several factors could hinder its progress without immediate attention, declares a new report from AACRAO.
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A look at a unique law that makes transfer credits count

Alcino Donadel -
Colorado is guaranteeing a "seamless transfer of course credit" and becomes the first state to require four-year universities to report which two-year credits they accept and reject. Lawmakers believe it will curb college costs and increase graduation rates.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

Learn More

U.S. voters want higher ed reform. Will it play a big role this election season?

Alcino Donadel -
The pandemic sprung a changing job market and a deeper mistrust in the cost of college, a new survey by Third Way finds. Here's what U.S. voters will be focusing on in a "high-stakes election year."
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FAFSA fail creates “state of emergency” in West Virginia

Matt Zalaznick -
College-bound West Virginia students can now qualify for the state’s largest financial aid programs without filling out the FAFSA application.
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