Daily Lumina News 111323

Cameron Russell’s mother, a rural mail carrier, and father, a crawfish farmer, always pushed him toward college, even though they didn’t have degrees. But his family’s encouragement could only go so far.
Undergraduates who are the first in their family to attend college often need help navigating campuses, filling out financial aid forms, and adapting to the pressures of cultural change. To aid them, organizations are honing their support to focus on everything that’s needed to achieve a degree.

After a three-year hiatus, tens of millions of Americans are starting to make payments again on their federal student loans. While a robust job market and wage growth should ease the sting of the added bill, stubbornly high prices for food and housing have stretched household budgets.
Against this backdrop, borrowers say they are stressed and feel the weight of their debt bearing down. In this interview, people across the country share their experiences about entering repayment.

The process of two-year college students transferring to four-year institutions has long been dotted with bureaucratic barriers, including the fact that colleges and states often define and label course credits differently. This forces students to retake classes, costing them extra time, effort, and money.
Some states and colleges are finding ways to help. New research from the U.S. Department of Education highlights the colleges and states with the most effective transfer rates and systems—and how their practices can be models for others.

Rising education costs and soaring student loan debt are causing more Americans to question the value of a college degree. Despite this pessimistic view, the labor market says otherwise. By 2031, 72 percent of all American jobs will go to workers who have schooling beyond high school.
But is there a better way to consider the role of college in society? Some experts say the answer lies with university leaders refocusing on what matters most: promoting public good and social mobility.

On top of the typical anxieties that the college admissions process invariably brings, many Jewish and Muslim families are now drawing up a new set of criteria for the schools they hope their kids will attend next year.
Over the next few months, exactly how college leaders navigate the ongoing strife related to the Israel-Hamas war could have a notable impact on which campuses parents and students ultimately choose.

A little-known rule called SAP, or satisfactory academic progress, is attached to nearly all federal financial aid for higher education—including grants, loans and work study—and most state aid, too. Every year, thousands of students lose their financial aid because of SAP requirements. Many are left with no choice but to drop out of school.
Once a student becomes ineligible for financial aid after failing to make SAP, that status stays with them forever. Legislators may finally be taking notice.