Tagged: higher education

Nearly half of all US undergraduates show up to their first day of class unprepared for the rigors of college life. Many of these students require extra education to ready them for their college courses.

These extra classes cost time and money, leading students to drop out or pile on additional debt. To solve this, some colleges are turning to the fast-growing supply of online courses to help prepare their freshmen for college.

Recently, Princeton alum Susan Patton prompted a heated discussion when she urged women at the Ivy League school to find a husband before graduating. She argued that men regularly marry women who are younger, less intelligent and less educated. Patton thinks Princeton women should marry a man who is their intellectual equal. What do you think about the "Mrs." degree? Ross Reynolds talks with listeners about the poorly received push for a "Mrs." degree.

The interest rate on many student loans is scheduled to double on July 1, to 6.8 percent from 3.4 percent. That was expected to happen last year, but Congress voted to extend the lower rate. If the student loan interest rate does increase it will be way above loans for cars or even homes. Ross Reynolds talks with The Chronicle of Higher Education's chief Washington reporter, Kelly Field about the potential impacts of rising student loan interest rates. 

The University of Washington plans to offer its first online bachelor’s degree program beginning this fall, with steeply discounted tuition compared to on-campus undergraduate classes.