Penn in the News

The U.S. Department of Education has released a framework that describes how the administration will execute its new college rating system, first proposed in August 2013.

The open secret of higher education is that private colleges competing for students often slash prices for families wealthy enough to pay full tuition. Some dangle “merit aid” to lure academic stars. Others use discounts to ensure that they enroll enough affluent students to meet their revenue targets.

Here are nine examples of how Franklin & Marshall College sized up the finances of students admitted to the class of 2018. F&M’s full charge for tuition, fees, room and board is $60,799. There are also expenses for books, supplies and transportation. The private college in Lancaster, Pa., pledges to meet full financial need. Students awarded aid are expected to take out some loans.

Fifteen miles from his home, tucked in a corner of a 10-by-10 storage unit, under an antique table, is a gray filing cabinet. Locked inside he keeps the test answers for more than a dozen online courses. Among his files is a pink steno pad of names, covering the front and back of 80 pages, that includes some of the biggest stars in college sports.

Harvard Law School violated Title IX in how it handled sexual violence and harassment complaints, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has ruled after a four-year investigation.

Ever since a 2012 study found that a majority of high-achieving, low-income high school seniors don't apply to a single competitive college, educators and policy makers have been debating what to do a

Conventional wisdom (backed by many research studies) holds that students benefit from smaller classes. They receive more personal attention from instructors, who can spend more time evaluating each assignment turned in and can spend more time with each student. Many rankings systems reward colleges for small class sizes. Many potential undergraduates judge colleges on the availability of small classes.

Maria Geffen of the Perelman School of Medicine explains how sound works.

Dean Geoffrey Garrett of the Wharton School discusses geopolitics, specifically China and the Communist Party.

Patrick McGovern of the Penn Museum is interviewed about the process for researching and recreating ancient alcoholic beverages.