From a new federal proposal to enact student loan forgiveness to decreasing significance of a college's sticker price, here are the top-line figures from some of our biggest stories of the week.
By the numbers
23 million
The number of borrowers the Biden administration said would have the accrued interest on their student loans cleared under newly announced debt relief proposals. The president announced his second attempt to enact widespread loan forgiveness this week through draft regulations released by the U.S. Department of Education.
26%
The share of in-state public college students who paid their institution's full sticker price during the 2019-20 academic year, down from 53% in 1995-96. The drop is one sign that academic sticker prices are losing value as an indicator of how much students actually pay for college, according to new research from The Brookings Institution.
2
The number of student groups directly called out by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his executive order addressing rising antisemitism on college campuses. Academic organizations have criticized the order for singling out students and using overly broad language that could chill free speech.
2.8%
The year-over-year decline in the share of undergraduates who earned a credential in 2022-23, per new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The second straight annual drop in credential completion is likely a ripple effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
13
The number of recently shuttered institutions the Higher Learning Commission analyzed in an effort to better predict college closures. Officials with the accreditor delved into the findings at its annual conference in Chicago this week.
