confronting cost

Behind closed doors at universities throughout the country, admissions committees are poring over thousands of applications to graduate degree programs. What exactly that application review process looks like is largely kept in the dark. But Julie Posselt, assistant professor of higher education at the University of Michigan, pulls back that curtain in her new book Inside Graduate Admissions: Merit, Diversity, and Faculty Gatekeeping.

An education nonprofit based in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood believes it has the key to ending generations of poverty and also transforming violent neighborhoods.  

A new report released Tuesday finds only 14 percent of community college students nationwide transfer to four-year schools and earn a bachelors’ degree within six years. The report by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College shows while the vast majority of students intend to earn a BA, few succeed.

With college application deadlines looming, December is a stressful month for high school seniors - especially for those who can't turn to their own parents for help. When English is not spoken at home, and parents have not even been to college themselves, their children can get lost in the process. To fix that problem, one Massachusetts high school is pairing experienced parent volunteers with worthy first generation students.

There's a lot of focus in this country on making community college more affordable. But living expenses – including transportation, rent and food – are still the biggest barrier between students and graduation.

Congress has restored the country's oldest student loan program, which expired in October following congressional inaction.

In an effort to protect student loan borrowers, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is cracking down on some student loan debt relief companies.

The cost of college is a hot topic around kitchen tables and on the campaign trail. But will it remain a top issue a year from now, when it's time for Americans to vote for a new president? A new WGBH News poll indicates there’s increased interest now, but history tells us other themes will probably surpass it in the general election.

Just this week some undocumented immigrant students in Massachusetts were made eligible for a prestigious state scholarship at four-year public schools. Immigration advocates welcome that development, but say much more needs to be done. Most undocumented students, including those who attend the state's community colleges, are still not eligible for financial aid.

About a quarter of the students who attend community college in the U.S. come from immigrant backgrounds. They face the same challenges as their non-immigrant classmates but they also experience a different set of struggles, related to language, culture, and helping their families navigate life in a new land.