Penn in the News

Dennis Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice is quoted about the impact of resource programs on homelessness.

The Department of Education on Thursday denied a request from the Center for Excellence in Higher Education, a Utah-based chain of career colleges, to switch its status to nonprofit for federal financial aid, leaving the chain unable to shake loose regulations aimed at for-profit schools. There are distinct benefits to being designated a nonprofit school.

Are the wealthiest colleges educating enough low-income students? It’s a question that’s been debated for years. Back in 2008, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, argued that given their affluence and the tax breaks they enjoy, the richest colleges should do more. Concerns about the rich colleges pulling their weight died down in the wake of the recession, but have recently been bubbling up again.

As college-bound students prepare for a new school year, they should be aware of a new date that’s important for future financial aid: Oct. 1. That’s the new, earlier date after which students can file the Fafsa, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The infamous form is used to calculate how much students and their families must contribute to the cost of college, and how much help they will get in the form of grants, scholarships and loans. Students seeking financial aid must file the form, used by most states and colleges as the gateway to financial aid, each year.

Shaun Harper of the Graduate School of Education is quoted about an Illinois community college that decided against the idea of limiting a class to only black students.

The U.S. Department of Education this week asked colleges and universities not to move up their deadlines for applying for financial aid. In theory, colleges could do so this year because of the adoption by the government of "prior prior year," a policy in which students may apply for financial aid based on family income from a year earlier than has been possible in the past. A letter sent to colleges by Ted Mitchell, the under secretary of education, asked colleges to publicize this change, and to use the change to provide students with earlier information on their aid eligibility.

A shakeup in the security department of ACT Inc. is being reported after revelations about cheating overseas in a program run by the giant testing nonprofit organization. Reuters, which has published a series of stories about cheating on high-stakes tests that students around the world take to get into college, has a new story that says ACT Inc. “is laying off its head of test security and plans to audit nearly 200 education centers” after revelations were published about cheating in the Global Assessment Certificate program, which is recognized by scores of U.S.

Susan Wachter of the Wharton School comments on homeownership and saving methods.

Jeremy Siegel of the Wharton School shares his predictions about the stock market.

Three campus leaders in the University of North Carolina system have been charged by lawmakers with carrying out a college-affordability experiment that has drawn both praise and criticism for its ambition: $500 tuition per semester for in-state students. At a time when the average published cost of in-state tuition and fees at four-year public colleges nationwide is nearing $10,000 annually, many see the measure, dubbed "NC Promise," as a bold move.