Tuition for private colleges and universities in the United States will increase by an average of 4.3 percent this year, Bloomberg.com reported. The increase, which is the smallest in at least 37 years, comes from a survey conducted by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Many institutions chose to limit tuition increases because the economic crisis has made it more difficult for families to pay tuition, organization spokesman Tony Pais told Bloomberg.com. The College Board, which collected information regarding both tuition and other fees, reported that tuition and fees together rose 5.9 percent for independent colleges and universities. Princeton University's tuition and room and board will rise by 2.9 percent, while tuition and fees at Harvard University and Yale University will increase by 3.3 percent and 3.5 percent, respectively. Dartmouth's tuition and fees will increase by 4.9 percent next year, according to an admissions department press release.
Scholarship organizations are seeing decreased funds and more applicants because of the the economic crisis, according to The New York Times. Organizations like the Fulfillment Fund and the Davis United World Scholars Program must choose between cutting scholarship amounts or limiting the number of awards, which will likely force more students to rely on federal grant money to attend college, Terry Hartle, senior vice president for government and public affairs at the American Council on Education, told The New York Times. State governments and universities themselves are also seeing scholarship endowments and bank dividends diminish, The Times reported.
A study released by the U.S. Department of Education found that students who took classes involving a combination of online learning and face-to-face interaction with professors learned better than students who took classes solely online or in person, according to Inside Higher Ed. The study, which was based on analyses of previous studies published on the subject, also found that students tend to learn more successfully from online-only courses than through in-person instruction. However, online quizzes and videos were found to be largely ineffective. One large benefit of online learning appeared to come from time: students tend to spend more time on their work in an online setting than in person. In light of the study, educators should make it a priority to incorporate digital activities into their teaching, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a statement.
