Education Week – Wendy D. Puriefoy

“As 3.2 million high school seniors earn diplomas this graduation season, nearly a million of their peers will watch from the sidelines, not having earned their diplomas yet. Many of the graduates, meanwhile, will still have their own struggles; some will be shut out of college because of the cost, while others will face a mountain of debt if they do enroll.” (more)

The Advocate – Koran Addo

“A national program that aims to remove the barriers that often prevent low-income college students from finishing school is on its way to Baton Rouge Community College, possibly as early as this fall.”(more)

USA Today – John Waggoner

“In the old days, parents celebrated the arrival of a new child by roasting a mastodon. Today, they start a college savings account. And no wonder: A year of tuition and fees at the average four-year private college cost $28,500 in the 2011-2012 school year, says the College Board. “Back when I went to college, people could pay their own way, but now it’s insanely expensive,” says Joy Thompson, 42, of Medway, Mass. So how do you get your child through college? USA TODAY asked readers such as Thompson for tips — and got some great ones.”(more)

NPR – Larry Abramson

“Chris LoCascio, a junior at UC Riverside, feared that there was no end in sight for tuition increases at the University of California. The state kept cutting subsidies, students kept protesting, but no one had any answers. So he and other students decided to turn the discussion on its head. What if, he says, “instead of charging students upfront for their education, students would attend the UC with no upfront costs whatsoever”?”(more)

The Examiner – Nancy Griesemer

“According to a report released by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, tuition isn’t necessarily the culprit behind increases in the overall cost of attending college. In fact, the pain in the pocket may be attributable to an increase in the cost of non-tuition expenses such as textbooks and housing.”(more)

All Africa – Staff Writer

“Parts of Ethiopia are still reeling from the effects of recent drought, flooding, conflict or a combination of the three, resulting in increased numbers of children dropping out of school, say officials. At least 385,000 school-children need “emergency education assistance this school year”, Alexandra Westerbeek, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) communication manager in Ethiopia, told IRIN.”(more)

The Washington Post – Daniel de Vise

“A higher education official from Wisconsin who attended the recent Council of Independent Colleges conference in Florida made a remarkable statement during a question-and-answer session. There is a group of students who enter college with such dire financial need that the amount the federal government expects their families to contribute to college is effectively zero. In Wisconsin, that zero-pay population has grown by half in a single year: from 42,641 students in the 2008-09 academic year to 65,800 in 2009-10.”(more)

The Telegraph – Laura Speranza

“Families are so desperate to keep their children out of the public school system they are willing to put themselves in debt for the rest of their working lives, or are tapping into grandparents’ nest eggs.”(more)

E School News – Staff Writer

“After weeks of political posturing, the agreement reached by lawmakers to raise the nation’s debt ceiling contains some good news for low-income college students—and bad news for other education stakeholders….Pell Grants for low-income college students will receive $17 billion more in funding at no additional cost to taxpayers by eliminating the in-school interest subsidy on subsidized loans for graduate students.” (more)

The Huffington Post – Staff Writer

“California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Monday that allows college students who entered the United States illegally to receive limited financial aid, the Associated Press reports. AB 130, also known as the California Dream Act, is the first of a series of two bills. The second part would allow undocumented students eligible for public scholarships…” (more)