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Tag: tuition

  • Calling all Hawai‘i high school seniors: Applications now open for travel industry scholarship | Big Island Now

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    January 17, 2026, 5:00 AM HST

    The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is offering a scholarship to Hawai‘i high school seniors interested in getting a higher education in tourism management.

    The Hawai‘i Tourism Ho‘oilina Scholarship is a four-year scholarship that provides $12,000 a year toward a Bachelor of Science in travel industry management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Shidler College of Business.

    The scholarship will be awarded to five incoming University of Hawai‘i freshmen this year, majoring in travel industry management. Money will cover a portion of the cost for tuition over four years.

    “We are investing in kama‘āina talent who will help strengthen Hawai‘i’s visitor industry workforce by keeping it infused with Hawai‘i’s values,” said Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. “We’re proud to be part of their support system so they can build successful careers here at home.”

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    Since its creation in 2019, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority has invested more than $1 million to provide tuition assistance for the next generation of travel industry professionals and to perpetuate Hawaiian culture within the visitor industry, according to a news release from the state agency.

    Scholarship requirements include enrolling as a full-time student in UH Mānoa’s Travel Industry Management program, maintaining a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, completing four Hawaiian culture courses, completing at least one upper-level destination management and stewardship course, committing to 200 hours of community service over the four-year period and participating in a 200-hour internship to gain visitor industry experience.

    The deadline to apply for the scholarships is March 1. Five recipients will be named in April. For more information, visit shidler.hawaii.edu/tim/hooilina-scholarship.

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  • More California students than ever are heading out of state for college. Here’s why

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    Javier Perez, a senior at Benjamin Franklin Senior High School in Highland Park, dreams of studying computer science at Dartmouth College.

    “For me, it’s really important to be surrounded by the right people,” said Perez, who earlier this year spent two days on the New Hampshire campus during a spring college tour and said he felt a “genuine connection” with the people he met. Plus, he likes cold weather.

    He’s hardly alone. A Public Policy Institute of California report released this month found that the share of college-bound California high school graduates enrolling in out-of-state colleges has nearly doubled in the last two decades, rising from 8.5% in 2002 to 14.6% in 2022.

    West Coast and Southwest colleges in particular seek out students in population-rich California in their recruitment efforts. Making the move more enticing is that many public universities participate in a program offering Californians discounted tuition at public colleges in the West.

    In 2022, nearly 40,000 California high school grads enrolled in out-of-state colleges, roughly a third of whom flocked to Arizona, Oregon or New York, the researchers found in their analysis of enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2002, the number was closer to 15,000.

    In Arizona, the most popular universities included Arizona State University, Grand Canyon University — known for its online programs — and the University of Arizona. Oregon State University drew the highest number of Californians in that state.

    California grads who moved to New York for college were drawn to smaller, competitive private liberal arts colleges, usually with heftier tuitions than California’s public universities. Because of limitations in national enrollment data, the study couldn’t account for scholarships, making it hard to determine whether the California students were choosing out-of-state options because of financial aid incentives.

    The researchers found that most students leaving California attend colleges less selective on average than the competitive University of California system. About half attend colleges more selective than the California State University system, which will soon automatically admit students who meet requirements at 16 of its campuses.

    Lynda McGee, a recently retired Los Angeles Unified School District college counselor who spent more than two decades at Downtown Magnets High School, said she sees the trend as a positive development. She said she often urged students to look beyond California, as she felt out-of-state campuses would expose them to a more diverse range of people and experiences.

    Arizona State, the University of Arizona and Oregon State have strong name recognition, actively recruit in California and feel less intimidating to students because they’re relatively close to home, she said. Oregon State’s athletics programs are a particular draw.

    Under the right conditions, and after taking into account financial aid or merit-based scholarships, private colleges can sometimes end up costing less than a California public university, said Erica Rosales, executive director of College Match, a mentoring program for low-income students in Los Angeles.

    “For a low-income, first-generation student, a private institution that meets full need without loans is often the most affordable and most supportive option available,” Rosales said in an email.

    Rosales, who has spent nearly two decades helping students navigate the college admissions process, noted that Cal Grant income ceilings leave out some middle-class families unable to afford to send their children to a UC or CSU campus. Financial aid at CSU campuses typically covers tuition, not room and board, according to Rosales.

    The promise of full financial-need coverage is why Perez, who grew up in Guatemala and immigrated to the U.S. three years ago, is aiming to attend a private liberal arts college. He learned about his options through College Match. The program funded a two-week East Coast college tour this year and provided him with a laptop for his applications.

    Javier Perez, 18, takes public transit to a library. His three-hour round-trip commute to and from school involves a bike ride, two trains and a bus.

    (Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

    Perez said leaving California would enable him to experience life in a small college town surrounded by nature. He’d like to spend his days focusing on his studies instead of commuting to school. His current commute from his Koreatown home to his Highland Park campus takes three hours round-trip, and involves a bike ride, two trains and a bus.

    Perez, an ambitious programmer who leads his school’s competitive robotics team, intends to apply to 22 colleges, including Stanford University, Caltech and a handful of UCs and CSUs.

    But his hopes are set on moving to the East Coast, as reflected by many of the schools on his list: Middlebury College, Boston College, Bowdoin College, Columbia University, Brown University and his dream school, Dartmouth College.

    “I just want to explore as much as I can in my college life,” Perez said.

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    Iris Kwok

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  • UNC Chapel Hill board members shoot down proposed tuition hike on in-state undergrads

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    A board of trustees committee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill refused Wednesday to give its approval to a proposed 3% increase on in-state undergraduate tuition for the incoming class, calling on the university to keep that tuition flat for another year.

    The proposed increase on in-state undergrads, which came from the university’s administration,  would have amounted to $211 per student per year and raised about $800,000 in the first year. Current in-state undergrad students wouldn’t have been impacted by the increase. 

    Schools in the UNC System, including UNC, haven’t raised tuition on in-state undergraduate students since the fall of 2017. The UNC Board of Governors, for the first time since that hike, is allowing the boards at UNC System schools to consider a tuition increase.

    Chancellor Lee Roberts said during the meeting that he supported the proposal and called it “a very measured, reasonable increase, entirely consistent with our obligations to the North Carolina Constitution.”

    But trustees on the budget committee weren’t swayed, citing constitutional concerns, university spending and the UNC System’s taking of money from the university through performance metrics. 

    Several trustees said they would support the tuition increase if the UNC System promised not to take money off the Chapel Hill campus to give to other schools in the system. Trustees contend the UNC System took $7 million from the campus under a new performance formula and repeatedly called it a “tax.”

    However, a majority of the board said it was opposed to the in-state undergraduate tuition increase under any circumstance.

    “I think the principle on in-state tuition is that you don’t raise it unless you absolutely have to,” said trustee Jim Blaine, one of the most vocal critics of the plan. “I don’t see in our budget that we absolutely have to.”

    Blaine criticized the university for a $1-million contract with a D.C.-based public relations and communications firm, saying such spending feeds into the narrative that UNC is not careful with its money.

    “I don’t see the point in an $800,000 increase on in-state students, given our constitutional obligations, and I would like to see the graduate stuff reworked to be where it’s not shifting more of the burden to in-state students,” Blaine said.

    So the committee instructed the administration to bring back a proposal that includes no tuition increase on in-state undergrads and instead raised tuition on out-of-state graduate students to compensate for the lost revenue. The full Board of Trustees meets Thursday in Chapel Hill. The full board could consider the original proposal as well.

    Trustee Ralph Meekins was the lone vote against the plan to ask for a new proposal. Meekins said the original tuition proposal went through a long vetting process with administrators, students and faculty. He said he would take the Board of Governors’ allowance of an increase “as a recommendation that we should.”

    “We’ve gone nine years without increases in our tuition,” he said. “We are the No. 1 university in the country for the money and we need to stay competitive in that area.”

    The original proposal presented by the administration included a 10% increase on out-of-state undergraduate students and no increase on the base tuition for either in-state or out-of-state graduate students. The proposal also included increases for housing and meals. The trustees on the committee were OK with the out-of-state undergrad, housing and meal parts of the proposal.

    NC State’s board of trustees will also consider a proposal to raise tuition by 3% at its meetings this week.

    No matter what the university trustees ultimately decide to do regarding tuition, it might not be the last word. The Board of Governors oversees all the schools in the UNC System. And Republican lawmakers in the state House and Senate voted earlier this year on dueling budget proposals to hike tuition and force spending cuts at nearly every UNC System university, including Chapel Hill. Those plans are on hold as the legislature has failed to pass a new state budget.

    The Chapel Hill campus announced a $70-million cost-cutting plan in July.

    In-state undergraduate tuition has remained at $7,019 per year since the 2017-18 school year. Fees at UNC were $2,076 for the current 2025-26 academic year. The proposal included a $53 increase in fees to help fund a new campus recreation and wellness center as the university has outgrown its current one. Construction on the new rec center isn’t expected to begin until at least 2027.

    The university has been aggressively raising tuition for out-of-state undergraduate students. Tuition for those students was $26,575 in 2012-13 and is now $43,152, but demand in the form of applications continues to rise.

    “You should be contemplating a world where we’re going to be likely in this range [of increases] for some time,” Nate Knuffman, the university’s chief financial officer told the committee.

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  • The Great Student Swap

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    Out-of-state flagships became even more attractive after the Great Recession of 2008, as families with financial means started to question the value of paying full freight at more obscure private colleges. In contrast to a private school like Scripps, Skidmore, Chapman, or Clark, a flagship—even if it meant moving states—seemed like a relative bargain. Sure, these families had to pay out-of-state tuition. But a price tag of, say, thirty thousand dollars a year at the University of Minnesota looked pretty reasonable compared with the fifty thousand or so that a private school such as the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts expected them to pay annually.

    In some cases, high-school seniors were actively pushed to apply to out-of-state universities. Although most public universities expanded to take in more students from elsewhere, while still being able to cater to a sizable in-state student population, not all did. According to a study from 2017, a third of the nation’s flagships—all highly ranked and thus popular with out-of-staters—turned away some of their own state’s residents to make room for higher-paying students from elsewhere. For every two non-resident students who enrolled, the study found, one in-state student was shut out. That vicious cycle spins in states such as California, Illinois, and Texas. Residents apply to their local flagship. They get crowded out, and so they go to big public universities in other states which have space for them. Then students in those states get pushed aside, so they apply to public universities in other states, too.

    In other cases, strong applicants were pulled across state lines by a hefty discount or a boutique academic experience, such as an honors college. One prospective student I met from Pennsylvania had initially set her sights on the University of Chicago. Despite her near-perfect stats (a 35 on the ACT, a 1510 on the SAT, thirteen Advanced Placement courses, and a 3.95 grade-point average), she was rejected after applying early decision. At the time, she didn’t have a single public university on her shortlist. Her mother did some digging and landed on the University of Mississippi as a possibility. It has an honors college and generous scholarships, including some that come with stipends for study-abroad programs and undergraduate research. “I applied to appease my mom and get an acceptance under my belt,” she told me.

    It wasn’t until after she was accepted and had started the interview process for the university’s top scholarships that she seriously considered going there. She realized, “There were all these opportunities I could qualify for, and I was hearing about them before I heard I was even accepted to other schools.” Mississippi knew it was competing with much higher-ranked colleges, so it had to come in strong and early.

    By April, the student had acceptance letters and financial-aid packages from Rice and Vanderbilt. Neither included the full ride and other perks that Mississippi offered her. Before making her decision, she flew to Houston with her dad to visit Rice again. It was a weekday, but the campus felt dead. They walked to a nearby park, where she made a pros-and-cons list for Rice and Mississippi. Then she broke down in tears.“The only pro I could come up with for Rice,” she recalled when we spoke recently, “is that people will know I’m smart because I go to Rice.”

    With more tuition dollars coming in from out-of-state students, public universities such as Ole Miss could afford to offer discounts or even full rides to a select number of academic superstars. The University of Alabama, for example, spent $185.4 million on merit aid in 2023-24, more than twice what it allocated for need-based aid. These high-achieving students act as magnets, attracting others in their home towns who don’t mind paying an out-of-state sticker price that, to them, still seems like a steal.

    When Alabama started going after out-of-staters, it focussed on two types of places, according to a team of social scientists who studied how colleges recruit. It targeted high schools in prosperous suburbs around Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles, where the university knew that getting accepted to in-state flagships was very difficult for all but the top students. It also courted applicants from bedroom communities around New York; Washington, D.C.; Seattle; Boston; and eventually Chicago, where Alabama’s sticker price looked downright reasonable compared with the tuition at pricey private colleges and more expensive public options. Over time, these efforts paid off. By 2022, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, Texas, and California ranked among Alabama’s top sources of out-of-staters.

    When the big public universities first went on their out-of-state recruiting spree more than twenty years ago, they had an abundance of prospective students to choose from among millennials. Then, over the past ten years, they also saw a steady increase in interest from overseas, as the number of international students enrolling in U.S. institutions grew by twenty-seven per cent, amounting to more than a million international students attending school in the U.S.

    And yet those pipelines may be drying up. The class of freshmen arriving on college campuses this fall may be the last big one for years, owing in part to declining birth rates and fewer high-school graduates deciding to attend college. What’s more, the decline is not evenly distributed across the country. Only the South will see a net increase in high-school graduates, and that’s the region where out-of-state enrollment has swelled the most among public flagships. For those universities, the supply of students from elsewhere may begin to dwindle.

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    Jeffrey Selingo

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  • College credits for cops: Montgomery Co. police tackle recruitment challenges with education benefits – WTOP News

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    Like many other area police departments, Montgomery County has a need for more police officers, and it hopes to lure in recruits and keep its veterans with discounted college education.

    Like many other area police departments, Montgomery County has a need for more police officers, and it hopes to lure in recruits and keep its veterans with discounted college education.

    The county’s police department has partnered with the University of Maryland Global Campus to offer officers and their immediate family members savings of up to $60,000 on graduate or undergraduate programs.

    “This is about investing in people — the men and women who serve here, their families who support them. This partnership reflects our commitment to investing in the future of not only this department, but the future of our communities that we serve,” Police Chief Marc Yamada said.

    With training academy classes under their belt and in-the-field training, some officers will be able to transfer all of that into 60 college credit hours at the start of their coursework. Military service, certification and some other vocational education could add on another 30 credit hours, leaving officers only 30 credits shy of a bachelor’s degree.

    The program will offer both UMGC​’s fully online degree programs and in-person classes.

    Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said this partnership solves a “college problem” for the police department.

    “It gets people into our program and through these classes, which will make better police officers, and it does it in the way that anybody who wants to be a police officer can do it without trying to think, ‘How long do I have to delay my career, and how hard is it going to be to go to school to get there?’” Elrich said.

    Rand Hansen, associate dean for the School of Integrative and Professional Studies at UMGC, said this announcement of the partnership is only the beginning.

    “We are committed not only to staying together and providing meaningful, high-quality learning experiences, but also to expand our partnership and explore new opportunities for collaboration with both the police academy and the department in the years ahead,” he said.

    Capt. David Reed heads the Montgomery County Public Safety Training Academy and helped make the partnership a reality.

    “I’m excited for the opportunities it creates in our recruiting and for the rank and file that serve Montgomery County,” Reed said.

    Reed said he believes offering this will “change the game” when it comes to recruiting new officers as the department tries to fill about 180 vacancies.

    Yamada also said he believes the program will be pivotal in keeping current officers with the department.

    “You’re talking about somebody who was not able to, say, obtain the rank of sergeant, now might be able to. For somebody who wants to get a graduate’s degree, all these things play into the ability for us to retain officers who are already here,” Yamada said.

    Within hours of offering the partnership, the department received 50 applications from officers, professional staff and family members of those individuals to whom the program is available.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Mike Murillo

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  • Unity Environmental University Distance Education Announces Student Tuition Freeze Through 2030

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    This Comes as the University Doubles Down on Student Success Efforts


    Online, December 10, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    For the sixth year in a row, Unity Environmental University Distance Education announced it will not raise tuition, and is committing to another six years of flat tuition through 2030, reflecting the institution’s dedication to keeping education affordable to all students.

    “Real educational equity requires real change from within. For too long, too many people have been shut out of the higher education experience. They simply could not put their lives on hold to move across the country, be required to live in residence halls, and enjoy all the trappings of a traditional college experience. But what if a university could offer a quality education that fits into your life, not the other way around? We’ve recognized this need and made systematic changes to our model to keep costs low and put students first,” said President, Dr. Melik Peter Khoury. “Now, our learners choose how and where they will learn with us. This flexibility has opened the door to those who have been historically disenfranchised from an environmental-science based degree, providing them with the opportunity to unlock their potential.”

    Unity has grown to more than 9,100 students, and those learners are more diverse than ever. As Unity reaches a wider audience, the university’s average self-disclosed diverse student population is up from a 50-year average of 8% to nearly 25%. The average student age has also grown, from 21 to 29 years old, as more place-bound learners discover their path to an environmental-based education.

    The University is also investing in continuous improvements to the student experience. Over the past two years, Distance Education has worked to increase investments in that area specifically.

    Student Success Investments:

    • Unlimited Mental Health Counseling

    • Increased Tutoring Hours

    • Grammarly AI Writing Tool

    • New Communication and Math Resource Hubs

    • Free Hands-On Chemistry Lab Kits for Place-bound Students

    You can learn much more about these resources by following this link.

    New Academic Programs

    This year Unity has added several new degree options, including Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees in Regenerative Hotel Management, Agroforestry, Sustainable Destination Management, Regenerative Agriculture, and Food Business and Culinary Entrepreneurship. The university also launched a programs in Environmental Engineering and Environmental Process Engineering.

    At the graduate level, Unity added a Master of Professional Science (MPS) program in Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience and exciting new Sustainable Master of Business Administration (SMBA) programs in Parks and Outdoor Recreation and Tourism and Hospitality. The university is also offering Master of Science (MS) degrees for the first time in a variety of fields, including Environmental Data Analytics, One Health, and Carbon Ecology and Management.

    “We look forward to the ongoing development of a dynamic range of new, cutting-edge programs that will launch Unity Distance Education students into careers within a variety of green economy sectors,” said Executive Vice President of Distance Education Dr. Jennifer Cartier. “We’re committed to providing flexible and affordable pathways for learners.”

    Learn more at at Unity.edu.

    Source: Unity Environmental University

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  • American College of Education Calls for Better ROI, Lower Debt in Nursing and Healthcare Degrees

    American College of Education Calls for Better ROI, Lower Debt in Nursing and Healthcare Degrees

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    A leading national provider of accredited online graduate degrees endorses Georgetown University group’s report recommending disclosure of earnings and debt costs and calls on colleges to freeze tuition for five years.


    INDIANAPOLIS, October 24, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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    A new report from a respected Georgetown University research group finds that healthcare programs are among the most expensive for graduate students, contributing to high borrowing levels. American College of Education (ACE), one of the country’s top providers of accredited online graduate degrees, including master’s degrees online, endorses the report’s call for greater transparency on loan debt and return on investment and graduate programs nationwide to significantly reduce tuition costs.  

    American College of Education (ACE), founded in 2005, offers more than 60 accredited doctoral, specialist, master’s and bachelor’s degrees and graduate-level certificate programs. ACE is known for its quality, flexibility and affordability. ACE has not increased tuition since 2016 and 86% of its students graduate with no debt. 

    The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce’s “Graduate Degrees: Risky and Unequal Paths to the Top” report documents that the cost of graduate education has more than tripled over the past 20 years, particularly in the healthcare fields in which 73% of students go into debt, compared to 53% across all fields.  

    The report highlights that healthcare students hold the most debt ($93,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars), significantly higher than overall ($50,000) across all fields of study. More than half (54%) of healthcare students end up with an average of over $45,000 in debt upon graduation. Additionally, the report states that student demand for graduate degrees in healthcare continues to rise, accounting for 24% of enrollments.  

    To protect students and maintain the value of a graduate degree, the researchers recommend assessing graduate health programs with a “debt-to-earnings test,” examining degree recipients’ federal loan payments in relation to their earnings, and an “in-field earnings premium test,” comparing the earnings of workers with graduate degrees to those without them. 

    ACE strongly supports the debt-to-earnings test, which would call for loan payments to not exceed 10% of the graduate’s median discretionary earnings. The debt-to-earnings test is particularly relevant to healthcare professionals.   

    “Given that healthcare professionals are burdened by significantly higher debt than their peers, at ACE we believe that the debt-to-earnings test is vital,” said Geordie Hyland, ACE’s president and CEO. “This approach is key to easing the financial strain of student loans and ensuring healthcare graduates can pursue advanced degrees without being overwhelmed by debt.”   

    ACE also endorses the in-field earnings premium test, which would ensure healthcare professionals achieve significant ROI on their investment in a graduate degree, earning at least 5% more compared to workers of a similar age and location without the degree.  

    An independent study by economists at labor market analysis firm Lightcast found a return of $19.20 in increased future earnings for every dollar a student invests in their education at ACE. This amounts to an average annual rate of return of 120.7%. 

    ACE also urges graduate schools to advocate for healthcare professionals by decreasing tuition costs without losing quality, eliminating non-value-added costs, and adopting new technology when possible.  

    “ACE calls for graduate schools to reduce tuition without compromising quality. Focusing on teaching and learning, leveraging technology, and eliminating non-essential costs will make education more affordable. Freezing tuition for five years is a smart, proactive move toward a sustainable and equitable model for higher education,” Hyland said. 

    ACE also improves affordability by choosing not to participate in federal Title IV financial aid programs, which reduces operational costs and reduces costs to students. The college also has a team dedicated to evaluating credit for prior learning (CPL) and extensive professional development content partnerships, which help students decrease the duration and cost of their program. 

    ACE also maintains a strong record of student success, with an 85% graduation rate, and more than 11,000 current students and 44,000 alumni. Students can complete ACE’s accredited online healthcare degrees in the comfort of their homes, on their own schedules, with free tutoring and student support services. Students can learn more by visiting ACE’s “Student Right to Know” at https://ace.edu/about/student-right-to-know. 

    Hyland will discuss ACE’s model of success in an upcoming The Future of Education podcast. For more information regarding ACE’s online healthcare degrees, please visit http://ace.edu.  

    About the American College of Education     
    American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, fully online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 60 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master’s or bachelor’s degree, along with graduate-level certificate programs. 

    Source: American College of Education

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  • American College of Education Endorses Call for Lower Costs, More Transparency on Graduate Degrees in Education

    American College of Education Endorses Call for Lower Costs, More Transparency on Graduate Degrees in Education

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    One of the nation’s leading providers of online education degrees supports Georgetown University group’s report recommending disclosure of earnings premium and debt-to-earnings statistics and calls for five-year freeze in graduate program tuition.


    INDIANAPOLIS, October 22, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    A new report from a respected Georgetown University research group finds that the cost of attaining graduate degrees – a virtual necessity for teachers’ career advancement – can actually make pursuing degrees financially risky. American College of Education, one of the country’s top providers of accredited online graduate degrees, endorses the report’s call for greater transparency on loan debt and return on investment and calls on graduate programs nationwide to significantly reduce tuition costs. 

    American College of Education (ACE), founded in 2005, offers more than 60 accredited doctoral, specialist, master’s and bachelor’s degrees and graduate-level certificate programs. ACE is ranked third in the United States for the number of master’s degrees in education conferred. ACE is known for its affordability, with no tuition increases since 2016 and with 86% of its students graduating with no debt. 

    The affordability of graduate education is the subject of the Georgetown report, “Graduate Degrees: Risky and Unequal Paths to the Top”. It documents how the cost of attaining a graduate degree has more than tripled over the past 20 years, and the median debt principal incurred by students has risen more than 50%, from $34,000 to $50,000. The study also shows that while students with graduate degrees in education earn 30% more overall than those with only a bachelor’s degree, rising tuition costs and loan repayments are eroding the earnings advantage. 

    “Some graduate programs leave completers with debt that they cannot reasonably repay from their earnings. When borrowers can’t repay their loans, taxpayers often pick up the remainder of the tab,” said the authors, researchers at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. 

    This is particularly problematic in the field of education, where teachers generally need advanced degrees to achieve higher pay, better jobs or, in three states, simply to stay in the profession. American colleges award about 150,000 master’s degrees in education a year, and about 5.6 million education jobs will require a graduate degree by 2031, the authors said. 

    To protect students and maintain the value of a graduate degree, the researchers recommend new regulations that would require graduate programs to disclose their return on investment and the debt burden they create. Specifically, the Georgetown researchers propose an “in-field earnings premium test,” comparing the earnings of workers with graduate degrees to those without them, and a “debt-to-earnings test,” examining degree recipients’ federal loan payments in relation to their earnings.  

    Graduate programs would be required to notify prospective students of their performance on those tests and would need to meet performance standards for their students to be eligible for federal loan programs.  

    ACE endorses the report’s recommendations. The in-field earnings premium test would ensure education professionals and employers achieve significant ROI on their investment in a graduate degree. The debt-to-earnings test would help educators reduce or even avoid the crushing burden of student loans.  

    “ACE’s endorsement of the ‘in-field earnings premium test’ is crucial for education professionals seeking real returns on their graduate degree investments. Alongside the ‘debt to earnings test,’ these steps provide a much-needed pathway to reduce student loan burdens and make advanced education more accessible to educators,” said Geordie Hyland, president and CEO of American College of Education. 

    An independent study by economists at labor market analysis firm Lightcast found a return of $19.20 in increased future earnings for every dollar a student invests in their education at ACE. This amounts to an average annual rate of return of 120.7%. 

    ACE also urges graduate schools to support education professionals by significantly reducing tuition costs – without compromising quality – by eliminating non-value add costs and using technology when possible. ACE, which has frozen its tuition costs for the last eight years, calls on graduate schools to freeze tuition for at least the next five years while assessing costs of delivery. 

    “ACE calls for graduate schools to reduce tuition without compromising quality. Focusing on teaching and learning, leveraging technology, and eliminating non-essential costs will make education more affordable,” Hyland said. “Freezing tuition for five years is a smart, proactive move toward a sustainable and equitable model for higher education.” 

    ACE also improves affordability by choosing not to participate in federal Title IV financial aid programs, which reduces operational costs and reduces costs to students. The college also has a team dedicated to evaluating credit for prior learning (CPL) and extensive professional development content partnerships, which help students decrease the duration and cost of their program. 

    Hyland will discuss ACE’s model of success in an upcoming The Future of Education podcast. 

    ACE has an 85% graduation rate, with 11,000 students and 44,000 alumni, and is ranked third in the United States for the most master’s degrees in education. 92% of ACE’s students agree or strongly agree that they are satisfied with their ACE experience. More information on student outcomes is available at the ACE “Student Right to Know” at https://ace.edu/about/student-right-to-know/.  

    For more information, please visit http://ace.edu/.  

    About American College of Education    
    American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, fully online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 60 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master’s or bachelor’s degree, along with graduate-level certificate programs. 

    Source: American College of Education

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  • School tax: What can you claim as a deduction on your annual income tax? – MoneySense

    School tax: What can you claim as a deduction on your annual income tax? – MoneySense

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    The tuition tax credit

    Claim the tuition credit to receive a non-refundable credit worth 15% of your tuition claim on the federal portion of your taxes. Provincial tax returns each have their own rules surrounding this claim for a combined benefit that’s bigger, depending on where you live. British Columbia (5.06%), Nunavut (4%), Northwest Territories (5.9%), Nova Scotia (8.79%), Newfoundland and Labrador (8.7%) and Prince Edward Island (9.8%) also have an education amount for you to claim.

    Tuition fee transfer to parents and supporters

    If you don’t need the credit to bring your non-refundable credits up to the same level as your taxable income, thereby reducing your taxes to zero, the unused tuition amount may be transferred (at least in part) to your spouse or other supporting individual up to a maximum of $5,000. If you don’t have anyone to transfer the tuition to (or wish not to transfer), the unused tuition may be carried forward to be used in a future year. The bottom line is that you’ll get a credit for about 25% of your tuition, depending on your province of residence, but you will only benefit from this non-refundable tax credit if you have taxable income.

    What is the Canada Training Credit?

    The Canada Training Credit allows for a tax credit for tuition or other fees paid to an eligible university, college or other certified post-secondary level educational institution in Canada, providing courses for an occupational, trade or professional examination. If you have both tuition fees and are eligible for a Canada Training Credit, you can claim a refundable credit for the lesser of one-half of your tuition and your Canada Training Credit entitlement, plus you can claim a portion of your tuition fee credit if you need it. It’s important to always file a tax return to earn this notional credit, which increases each year by $250, to a lifetime maximum of $5,000. To claim the CTC you must be over 25 and under 66 and meet certain income requirements, described below:

    Income criteria 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
    Minimum working income $11,511 $10,994 $10,342 $10,100 $10,000
    Maximum net income from prior year $165,430 $144,625 $151,978 $150,473 $147,667
    Accumulated CTC balance $1250 $1000 $750 $500 $250

    How to use the disability supports deduction

    Starting with the 2024 tax year, the disability supports deduction has been expanded to include new deductible expenditures. Students can claim this amount to offset taxable employment, self-employment, scholarships, fellowships, research grants or other qualifying income if they have a mental or physical impairment. The deduction cannot be shared with a supporting individual and the same expenses cannot be claimed for the medical expenses credit if they are claimed as a disability supports deduction.

    There is a long list of qualifying expenses; here’s what’s new for 2024:

    • For those with a severe and prolonged impairment in physical function, the costs of an ergonomic chair (as well as the costs of an assessment), bed positioning devices (again, as well as the cost of an assessment) and a mobile computer cart
    • For those with an impairment in physical or mental function, an alternative input device for computers and a digital pen device

    Also claimable this year, a navigation device for those with vision impairment, and memory or organizational aids for those with memory impairment.

    Other tax assistance students may claim

    And there’s more that students and supporters can claim.

    • Scholarship exemptions
      These exemptions come with varying criteria depending on whether you are a full-time or part-time student or have received an artist’s project grant.
    • Research grants
      You can claim expenses paid to do research including travelling costs, the cost of an assistant or costs for certain equipment or lab fees. But the amounts can’t exceed the grant, for tax purposes. 
    • Moving expenses
      Full-time students can claim moving expenses only if there is income at the new location from taxable scholarships, fellowships, bursaries, prizes and like income, employment or self-employment, and you move 40 kilometres or more closer to the educational institution.
    • Child-care expenses
      This will reduce net income, which in turn can increase refundable tax credits, like the federal GST/HST credit, and the Canada Child Benefit, the Canada Workers Benefit (which can’t be claimed by full time students unless the student is a parent), and some provincial credits. But if the student is not taxable, the higher income earner, in the case of a couple, may qualify for a claim. Likewise, these expenses may reduce income to a level that enables a tuition transfer to a supporting person like a spouse.
    • Medical Expenses
      There is a long list of qualifying expenses including service animals or tutoring services that can help students to support their studies (medical practitioner must provide verification). Other eligible costs include private insurance premiums, eyeglasses, contact lenses, prescriptions, the incremental costs of gluten-free food, and much more. Check it out and keep your receipts.

    How are RESP withdrawals taxed?

    Finally, those fortunate enough to have a registered education savings plan (RESP) can withdraw money from the plan to go to school. But the amounts are taxable to the student. Full-time students can now withdraw $8,000 during the first 13 consecutive weeks of enrolment; part-time students can withdraw $4,000 in that time. After this, there is no limit, unless the beneficiary takes a 12-month break from studies. In that case, the $8,000 limit is reinstated. Both full- and part-time students now may receive payments for up to six months after the end of their studies if the expenses would have qualified during the study period.

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    Evelyn Jacks, RWM, MFA, MFA-P, FDFS

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  • Governor Highlights Florida Prepaid Program Success, Encourages Parents to Claim Refunds

    Governor Highlights Florida Prepaid Program Success, Encourages Parents to Claim Refunds

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    During National College Savings Month, Governor Ron DeSantis announced record refunds to parents through the Florida Prepaid program and encourages all Florida families to take advantage of an affordable prepaid college plan.

    In total, Florida has returned nearly $1 billion to Florida families through Prepaid Florida refunds. Florida Prepaid is the largest and longest running prepaid program of its kind, with a 35-year track record of helping over 1.2 million Florida families save for college so they can graduate and enter the workforce without burdensome loan debts.

    “Because of our focus on academic achievement and fiscal responsibility, Florida has both the number one ranked higher education system and the lowest tuition in the country,” said Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. “Florida’s flexible college savings options like the Florida Prepaid program allow parents to get a head start on paying for the future, and even get money back when tuition stays low. And because I have ensured tuition has not been raised in Florida since I’ve become Governor, we have another round of refunds available for parents now.”

    The Florida Prepaid college saving program allows Florida families to lock in future tuition costs at today’s prices. Because the program factors in what tuition may cost in the future, parents receive a refund if tuition stays lower than what is predicted, often resulting in thousands of dollars back.

    “Florida is setting an example for the rest of the nation for ensuring that students can access higher education without taking on high amounts of debt,” said Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. “I am proud that Florida not only offers options like Florida Prepaid, but we are also returning money to parents because Governor DeSantis has kept tuition low.”

    “There is a national narrative that higher education is extremely costly and not worth it. As the number one state for higher education for eight years in a row, Florida universities are a great return on investment. Florida has held tuition and fees flat and continues to prioritize textbook affordability,” said Ray Rodrigues, Chancellor of the State University System of Florida. “National College Savings Month provides an opportunity to highlight the affordability of our public institutions and the benefit Florida’s Prepaid College Savings Programs offer to families.”

    Since Governor DeSantis took office, Florida has secured two rollbacks on Florida Prepaid Plan rates, one in 2020 and another earlier this year. These rollbacks have resulted in hundreds of thousands of families paying less, with their prepaid plan rates being reduced by a cumulative amount of $2.6 billion. In fact, more than 40,000 families still need to collect their 2024 refund, with over $130 million in unclaimed refunds.

    To find out if you have an unclaimed refund, please login to your Florida Prepaid account.

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  • Temple to cover tuition for more Philadelphia students

    Temple to cover tuition for more Philadelphia students

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    Temple University will offer full rides to more Philadelphia students through a new financial aid program that takes effect in the coming fall semester.

    Under the terms of Temple Promise, the university will cover in-state tuition and other eligible fees for qualifying, first-time undergraduates from Philadelphia County. The students must be enrolled full-time and have a total adjusted family income of $65,000 or less.

    LATEST: Without clearly notifying the public, Penn Museum buries remains of 19 Black Philadelphians held in its collection

    The financial aid program only applies to students attending the college’s main campus in North Philly or the campus in Ambler.

    “The Temple Promise program ensures that talented students who have earned admission to Temple have every opportunity to pursue the excellent education that Temple provides, regardless of financial means,” Gregory Mandel, provost of Temple, said in a statement. “By easing the financial burden many admitted students face, the program enables ambitious, engaged students to join our academic community and sets them up for success in and out of the classroom.”

    Temple Promise is a last-dollar financial award designed to cover the remaining balance of tuition after other scholarships and grants are applied. To be considered, applicants must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by April 1.

    University officials said the program aligns with the educational agendas set forth by Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker, who have both called for greater access and opportunity for low-income families.

    Last summer, Temple approved a 4.2% increase in base tuition for in-state students, bringing the fees up to $8,988 per semester. Out-of-state students saw a slightly larger tuition bump of 4.4%; they now pay $16,188 per semester.

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    Kristin Hunt

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  • Thomas Browning Wins Max Cash Title Loans 1st Scholarship, 2nd Scholarship Still Available and Ongoing.

    Thomas Browning Wins Max Cash Title Loans 1st Scholarship, 2nd Scholarship Still Available and Ongoing.

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    Thomas Browning was awarded $1500 towards his education at ASU-W. P. Carey School of Business (Tempe Campus) by Max Cash Title Loans.

    Press Release
    –


    updated: Aug 28, 2017


    TEMPE. Ariz., August 28, 2017 (Newswire.com)
    –
     Max Cash Title Loans and its parent company Tradition Media Group (TMG Loan Processing) is proud to announce the winner of the 1st Affordable School Aid Program sponsored by Max Cash.

    Thomas Browning, who is attending Arizona State University – W.P. Carey School of Business in Tempe Arizona won with his 1500-word essay about how to make car title loans affordable and the way title loans work. Thomas said with his entry, “Most portfolio management companies want a minimum of $5,000 or $10,000 to start with a reasonable monthly continual contribution. Offering options to the people stuck in the middle is a great market to service. These are all personal areas of interest and will be part of my educational focus as I major in Finance at ASU.” 

    At Max Cash Title Loans and its parent company Tradition Media Group (TMG Loan Processing) we value education and fiscal responsibility. We realize that many students and parents get car title loans to cover tuition. We understand that school can be extremely expensive with housing, books, and school supplies and attending college or graduate school can run into the tens of thousands of dollars. Our passion and part of our mission statement is to contribute to the communities that support us and we can think of no better way than this.

    Fred Winchar, President

    The Affordable School Aid Program, established by Max Cash Title Loans awards $1500 per scholarship, and there are two scholarships per school year. The next scholarship is slated for Feb. 15, 2018, with all submissions to be received by Feb. 1st, 2018.

    Max Cash Title Loans and TMG Loan Processing are brokers to multiple lenders nationwide. The growth of the firm has been doubling year over year because TMG Loan Processing offers consumers wide options for title loans. At the core of the company is its mission statement with core beliefs to support the communities in which they service and to create leaders in the financial industry. 

    “I would hope other lenders would join this scholarship program and our mission and increase the amount of money students can receive,” said Fred Winchar, President of Tradition Media Group and Max Cash Title Loans. “Not having money for school is the worst reason for not attending and if we could get more lenders to join us, then our dream of helping many future financial leaders will become a reality!” 

    Thankfully for Thomas Browning, ASU posted the scholarship to their website allowing Mr. Browning to hear about it and apply, however, not all universities have the ability to post scholarships. “If more educators will take an active role in getting the word out, more students will have less financial stress and more time to focus on becoming outstanding students,” said Mr. Winchar. “Sadly there is no easy way to get this access to an award to the seniors in high school, the college students in every level of their education. It may take the parents to read about this and let students know through Facebook or other social media. We are going to do our part and supply the money but we need help with both getting the word out and getting more lenders to join this program.”

    The first scholarship only received about 100 entries from only a few universities. The goal is thousands of entries from high school and all higher education institutions on the second scholarship. 

    About:

    Max Cash Title Loans is an extensive title loan referral service that partners with title loan lenders nationwide. If you need funding quickly, Max Cash Title Loans finds you a lender with competitive interest rates and low monthly installments. No matter where you live, from the west coast to the east coast, they can help you obtain a title loan. Max Cash Title Loans is a dba Tradition Media Group, LLC which 4/½ star rating from Consumer Affairs and is considered a leader in Loan Processing.

    Media Contact:

    Fred Winchar
    Phone: 480-498-3940
    Email: fred@maxcashtitleloans.com

    Source: Max Cash Title Loans

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