The New York Times published a searchable database on income and college affordability using new data from Opportunity Insights, led by economist Raj Chetty of Harvard University. The data reveal that students from high-income backgrounds are more likely to attend the most selective colleges and universities, and at many such institutions, more than half of students come from families earning in the top 20%. At Georgetown University, for example, a student from the top 1% is 2.7 times more likely to attend than another student with the same standardized test scores.
Higher education is facing challenges due to declining enrollment and the upcoming decline in high school graduates due to decreased birth rates during the Great Recession, according to Higher Ed Dive. Gen Z’s perception of college and its affordability will play a crucial role in the future of higher education. The youngest members of Gen Z show more value for higher education than the older members. Women, Democrats, and Black and Hispanic students tend to place a higher importance on college. Concerns about college affordability vary across racial and ethnic groups and contribute to disparities in college-going rates, with lower rates among Hispanic and Black students compared to White and Asian students.
The New York Times reports that increasing numbers of elite law and medical schools, most recently Yale Law School, have decided not to cooperate with the U.S. News & World Report rankings. However, most undergraduate schools, including Yale, will continue to submit data for the annual undergraduate rankings. The rankings hold a strong influence on American higher education, as they are seen as a way to attract applicants and are tracked by alumni and donors. Some schools fear that the consequences of not cooperating with the rankings will decrease students’ exposure to and engagement with the institution.
Professor Patty Goedl of the University of Cincinnati at Clermont published an open-access textbook to mitigate extra expenses in higher education. Buying college textbooks can cost as much as $200 per class, according to Inside Higher Ed. Goedl hopes that her three-year endeavor, which now provides open-access learning in the form of videos, written content, and quizzes, will offset some of these additional costs.
The California State University System has approved a plan to increase tuition by 6% annually for the next five years, Higher Ed Dive reports. This will generate an additional $148 million in the first year and a total of $840 million over the five-year period. The tuition hikes are intended to address a $1.5 billion deficit while the system considers employee raises and infrastructure costs.