Joanne Jacobs
A debt-free bachelor's degree is not impossible (but it's not easy)
Confidence in the value of higher education is down , and fear of college debt is up, writes Rob Jenkins, an associate professor of...
top of page
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 10
- 3 min
Up, up and away: 'Recalibration' is raising AP exam scores
Advanced Placement scores were released this week, and they're higher than ever. But not necessarily because students are learning more....
Joanne Jacobs
- May 30
- 2 min
Is college worth it if you have to borrow? Only 22% say 'yes'
Most Americans don't think borrowing to go to college is worth it.
Joanne Jacobs
- May 15
- 2 min
Education degrees don't pay: What can we do about it?
"Majoring in education has a near ZERO return on investment for lifetime earnings," notes Matthew Kraft, citing a new report that...
Joanne Jacobs
- May 13
- 2 min
Does college pay? Just barely for ed majors, not at all for half of master's degrees
Alex majors in engineering at a public university, while Chris earns a nursing degree. Their return on investment (ROI) -- the increase...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 29
- 3 min
Go State U! Why pay a premium for a 'polarizing' degree?
Borrow a bundle to go to a prestigious private college? Or go to your state's flagship state university for slightly less status and a...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 9
- 2 min
As college costs near $100k per year, Biden pledges to forgive more student loans
Is a year at Vanderbilt worth $100,000? At a few dozen elite universities, the list price for tuition, room and board and other expenses...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 23
- 1 min
St. Peter's wins March Madness for mobility
The Peacocks of Saint Peter’s University were blown out of the NCAA basketball tournament in the first round, losing to University of...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 13
- 2 min
Wary students seek no-debt degrees -- and no-degree jobs
Young Americans are trying to avoid student loans or find low-debt paths to good jobs, reports Nirvi Shah in USA Today. Janika Cook...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 21, 2023
- 2 min
College grads aren't baristas for life (usually)
The crisis for new college graduates is a media perennial, writes Kevin Carey in The Atlantic. "Find some recent grads working humble...
Joanne Jacobs
- Dec 13, 2023
- 2 min
Free money! Grandpa Joe says you don't have to repay student loans
Free money! Grandpa Joe Biden knows you'd rather not repay your federal student loans, so he's doing his best to wipe out your debt,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Nov 7, 2023
- 2 min
'Dual credits' aren't very helpful, but that can be fixed
Dual-credit programs are supposed to put students "on the fast track" to an affordable college degree, but many teens are earning credits...
Joanne Jacobs
- Oct 12, 2023
- 1 min
Arkansas students can qualify for 'free' bachelor's degree
The University of Central Arkansas will offer a tuition-free bachelor's degree to in-state students from families earning less than...
Joanne Jacobs
- Oct 12, 2023
- 2 min
To control college costs: Work harder, dump gen-ed, fire DEI staff
College costs keep rising, even as more young people question a degree's value. The James Martin Center for Academic Renewal asked for...
Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 11, 2023
- 2 min
College is a gamble: Will you graduate? In what major? Owing how much?
Americans have soured on the value of a college education, writes Paul Tough in the New York Times Magazine. Ten years ago, 86 percent of...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 20, 2023
- 2 min
Apprenticeship-to-degree model launches debt-free careers
How do you get a job at Goldman Sachs? In the U.S., it usually takes a degree from an elite college to get in the door. In Britain,...
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 3, 2023
- 2 min
How to fix higher ed: Make public college free
"Higher education is deeply screwed up," writes William Deresiewicz on Persuasion. The first step to fixing it, he argues, would be to...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 20, 2023
- 2 min
Class of '23 has high hopes -- $84,855 -- for post-college pay
Gen Z college students are clueless about the workforce, according to a survey conducted in March, writes Jaime Dunaway-Seale for Real...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 19, 2023
- 1 min
Who do you trust? Not higher ed or public schools -- or Congress
Americans' confidence in higher education has fallen sharply, according to a new Gallup poll, reports Hechinger's Jill Barshay. Yet most...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 19, 2023
- 2 min
$1.78 trillion in college debt: Can US derail the debt train?
Student loan debt now totals $1.78 trillion, reports Motley Fool. That number has doubled in the last 10 years. The average debtor owes...
bottom of page