From an increase in undergraduate enrollment to degrees on the chopping block at a Chicago college, here are the top-line figures from some of our biggest stories of the week.
By the numbers
2.5%
The year-over-year increase in undergraduate enrollment in spring 2024. New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that the dual-enrollment and regular students at community college drove the uptick.
28
The number of academic offerings flagged as programs of concern at Columbia College Chicago, a process that could result in cuts and faculty layoffs. The private nonprofit is set to make structural changes to its schools and curricula as it grapples with budget deficits and enrollment declines.
1,700
The number of bachelor's degree-granting colleges that have test-optional or test- free policies without a set end date, according to FairTest. Several highly selective institutions have revived their SAT and ACT admissions requirements, leading test-optional advocates to wonder if more will follow suit.
120+
The number of signatories on a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging him to rescind proposed regulations that would provide student debt relief to specific borrowers. Republican lawmakers have called the draft rules a "reckless" attempt to transfer debt onto those who don't have outstanding student loans.
23.4%
The percentage of U.S. adults 25 and older who had a bachelor's as their highest degree in 2022. But that’s true for just 17.3% Black or African American adults and 14.5% of Hispanic or Latino adults, highlighting persistent racial achievement gaps, the American Council on Education found.
