Confusing Financial Aid Offer Letters Make It Hard to Compare College Costs.

Confusing Financial Aid Offers Can Leave Families Deeper in Debt. Student Groups Say a New Legislative Fix Doesn’t Go Far Enough

by Meredith Kolodner April 30, 2026April 30, 2026

Colleges lobbied to kill a requirement that they use a uniform financial aid offer letter to help families easily compare costs.

Higher Education

How Much Will That College Cost You? Good Luck Figuring it Out

by Meredith Kolodner April 20, 2026April 17, 2026

Colleges could standardize financial aid information to make it easier to compare. But they don’t.

Most people believed the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end affirmative action would cause a big drop in Black and Hispanic enrollment at the nation’s top colleges. What actually happened is more complicated.

Higher Education

After Affirmative Action: Takeaways—and Puzzles—From College Admissions Data

by Meredith Kolodner and Marina Villeneuve February 12, 2026February 11, 2026

Everyone expected the end of affirmative action to reduce Black and Hispanic enrollment at top colleges. That’s not exactly how it worked out.

Education

Four Ways For-Profit Colleges Could Benefit From Trump

by Meredith Kolodner December 20, 2024December 20, 2024

Regulation may ease in some cases, but some accountability measures may remain.

Featured, Higher Education, Political Animal

How Companies You’ve Never Heard of Help For-Profit Colleges Stay in Business

by Sarah Butrymowicz and Meredith Kolodner November 15, 2021January 12, 2022

Inside the shadowy world of tuition financing firms that are putting America’s students into massive debt.

Education, Higher Education

Wealthy Students are Pushing Out Low-Income Students at Top Public Universities

by Meredith Kolodner October 27, 2017January 9, 2022

Financial aid policies may be speeding up the trend

Education, Higher Education

New Study Shows More Degrees Earned at Colleges and Universities That Serve Minorities

by Meredith Kolodner July 21, 2017January 9, 2022

The official federal graduation rates for colleges and universities that serve large numbers of black, Latino and Asian students significantly underestimate how many of their students are earning degrees, according to a new report. THE TOPIC Graduation rates at minority-serving colleges WHY IT MATTERS Minority-serving institutions may graduate more students than federal data show “Pulling […]

Education, K-12