Student debt and the value of college

These charts show what jobs liberal arts majors actually get

History majors go to law school. English majors teach.

Why hasn’t the class of 2009 grown up?

A new book argues that colleges failed recent graduates, and that's why they're struggling. But the reality is more complicated.

Why are student loan default rates still so high?

The proportion of mortgages, credit card debt and auto loans with late payments is falling. Why are student loans an outlier?

College ratings, college rankings, and Medicare

What the perils of Medicare's five-star system tell us about rating colleges.

The feds tried to rate colleges in 1911, and it was a disaster

Now Obama is trying again.

Is a more prestigious college worth the money?

The research says it depends in part on who you are.

Where Americans find the money to pay for college

Student loans cover only about 15 percent of the cost, according to a new survey from student lender Sallie Mae.

Ryan's views on college look a lot like Obama's

Both the former Republican vice-presidential nominee and the president say they want to hold colleges accountable for outcomes.

Maybe everyone should go to college

That still doesn't mean everyone needs to earn a four-year degree.

An important point about vocational training

Most of it happens at a college.

2008 was a terrible year to graduate college

The first graduating class of the recession bore economic scars until at least 2012.

Why US universities aren't the best in the world

The problems of the K-12 education system haunt higher education.

Student loan interest rates just went up

This was supposed to happen — and it's going to keep happening.

The latest on college ratings timing

9 things people get wrong about student debt

Is student debt a crisis or not? It depends on which students you're talking about.

Senate Democrats' HEA proposal

Everything the internet wrote about student debt

Student loans correlate with a lower credit score

Student loan borrowers now lag behind non-borrowers in creditworthiness.

One college spun a $20K tuition hike as a discount

And it explains why it's so hard to talk about how much college actually costs.

A typical student loan payment: $160

The median experience with student loans isn't nearly as bad as some horror stories say.

Obama’s student debt plan, explained

The president wants to lower monthly payments for some student loan borrowers. Here's how the plan would work.

The flaws in the college graduation rate

Lots of students aren't counted when the federal government measures who graduates.

Mind the (wage) gap when judging on salary

Does evaluating college majors based on how much their graduates penalize majors that women favor?

Student debt is going up for every reason

Was it because more students were going to college, because tuition was higher, or because students were taking out bigger loans? Yes.

Can Congress block college ratings?

Probably not in the near future.