College Uncovered

More than 40 million Americans have student loan debt, but should the government forgive all or part of it? It’s a debate that’s a source of extreme political division. Opponents call it a transfer of wealth from the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder to the top and people with college degrees; supporters say forgiveness gives some breathing room to graduates who are being crushed by the costs of...

Following intense, sometimes violent protests on college campuses last spring, colleges are taking new steps to encourage more civil dialogue and debate among students who disagree. Some schools are offering new guidance and coursework around how students should speak to one another in an effort to bridge deep differences. At the same time, colleges are tightening restrictions on campus protests r...

Divisive protests, police crackdowns, and a chilling backlash against free speech are among the reasons that a growing number of students say they don’t feel welcome on some college campuses. Conflicts over abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and DEI, as well as what can and can’t be taught in classrooms are stirring up campus life against the backdrop of a contentious presidential election. A majority of st...

College Uncovered Season 3 is here!  In our first two seasons, GBH and The Hechinger Report explored the business of college admissions and paying for your education.  Now we’re back with a special election year season, helping you navigate the politics of American colleges and universities. College Uncovered is hosted by Kirk Carapezza and Jon Marcus, journalists with decades of experience who sp...

The essay is a vital piece in the college application puzzle; portraying the strengths and challenges of aspiring high school students. In this bonus episode of "College Uncovered," Tayana Antoine describes for the producers of the "Dear College" podcast, the similarities between a teen mom and an older sister. How her dual role as caretaker for her siblings and maturing adult sometimes can clash...

College application essays demonstrate literacy and creativity of high school students striving for higher education. As the producers of the "Dear College" podcast have found, what this rising generation says about themselves says a lot about all of us. In this bonus episode of "College Uncovered," Jenessa Otabor shares how a recent educational opportunity turned from stressful to rewarding; once...

While there are a lot of tests to get into college, there are no exit exams to get out. Despite the soaring price of tuition and the benefits a degree offers, researchers have found that undergrads often spend little time studying compared to other activities like working, socializing or partying. As a result, many show limited gains in critical thinking — the hallmark of American higher education...

Students at one New York university have a surprise awaiting them: an $8,000-a-year “academic excellence fee.” We have to ask: Isn’t academic excellence included in tuition? In fact, tuition is only part of the cost of college. Like car dealerships, schools are nickel-and-diming consumers with huge fees — fees for student activities, fees for athletics, fees for building maintenance, fees for libr...

Student loans aren’t the only kind of university debt. Colleges and universities have borrowed billions, mostly to build new dorms, dining halls and facilities, spaces they may – or may not – need as student enrollment declines nationally. Today, nearly 10 cents of every dollar in university budgets helps pay interest on institutional debt. “College Uncovered” is made possible by Lumina Foundation...

To boost enrollment and meet workforce needs, more states are offering free community college programs. But do these programs effectively help students graduate from college? And by offering college for free, does that diminish its value? We look at the research, as well as a new free college program in Massachusetts and an old one in Tennessee, where community college has been free for years. “Co...

Okay, so you’re going to college. But will the college you pick still have its lights on before you graduate? It’s a question more and more families face as colleges experience financial and enrollment challenges that force them to close or merge. We’ll look at what colleges are doing to stay alive, whether should states disclose institutions’ financial health to consumers, and what happens to stu...

Universities dole out more than half of the revenue they collect from tuition in the form of discounts and financial aid in their efforts to attract students. The US average is 56 percent. If a private company discounted its products by more than half, it would probably go out of business. So why do colleges use this self-destructive business model that leaves many prospective students thinking co...

Colleges work hard to make their prices seem much lower than they actually are. The problem has become so frustrating for families that now there’s an effort to fix it. But don’t hold your breath. Colleges are fighting attempts to make financial aid forms easier to compare and more understandable. We’ll give you tips on how to negotiate for more financial aid and ask for a better offer. “College U...

Congratulations, you got accepted to college! The next notification you’ll get: a financial aid offer, telling you what it will cost. And those financial aid offer letters are notoriously indecipherable and misleading, making it difficult to make college cost comparisons or even know how much you’ll owe. “College Uncovered” is made possible by Lumina Foundation. ---------- Credits: Hosts: Kirk Car...

College Uncovered Season 2 is here! ---------- Credits: Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon Marcus Supervising Editor: Megan Woolhouse Editor: Jeff Keating Executive Producer: Ellen London  Mixing and Sound Design: David Goodman & Gary Mott Theme Song and original music: Left-Roman Artwork: Matt Welch  Project Manager: Meiqian He Consulting Producer and Head of GBH Podcasts: Devin Maverick Robins...

Colleges are quietly buying – or as they like to spin it, licensing – lists of potential student names and personal information from companies administering tests like the SAT and ACT. The goal? Recruit, but also recruit to reject. The more applicants a college recruits, the more selective and prestigious they seem in the college rankings. In this final episode of Season One, Kirk and Jon explore...

Some colleges and universities now spend more on marketing than on financial aid. They’re hiring marketing professionals who have worked at Fortune 500 companies and using digital marketing tools to follow you around the internet. They know how much time you spend on a website, when you save something for later, and what other sites you visit.  A growing number also sneakily collect your personal...

A bachelor’s degree in four years is one of the most basic promises colleges make, and one of the biggest frustrations their customers face. Fewer than half of students will actually graduate in four years. And the numbers are even worse for Black and Hispanic students. Consider this surprising number: at more than 100 US colleges and universities, not a single student graduated within four years....

Many students go to a two year or community college thinking it’s a bargain: attend for two years, then transfer to a four year school, saving tens of thousands of dollars in tuition. But it doesn't always work out that way. Nearly half of all college credits don't end up transferring when a student changes schools. Kirk Carapezza and Esteban Bustillos talk about why the transfer system short-chan...

While colleges make it seem like they choose applicants solely on their merit as students, that’s not always the case. Former admissions officer Kyra Tyler shares her experience working in an admissions office, where she was asked to prioritize less academically qualified students with family connections and wealth. GBH’s Kirk Carapezza and GBH guest host Kana Ruhalter also dive into new research...

Getting turned down by your dream college doesn’t always mean you’ve been categorically rejected. Some applicants who fail to get in as freshmen, for example, are invited back … as sophomores. They don’t even need to reapply. It’s one of many secrets admissions officers prefer to keep quiet. Colleges don’t do this kind of thing out of the goodness of their hearts. They know a shamefully high numbe...

The 2019 Varsity Blues scandal exposed just how far rich, famous and entitled parents would go to get their kids into big name colleges. But the truth is there are many ways colleges already give preferences to wealthy students. And they are completely legal.     GBH’s Kirk Carapezza and Jon Marcus of the Hechinger Report dig into how college admissions favor students who can pay giant tuition bil...

Colleges are increasingly hard up for students so they make a lot of promises they don’t keep. In this episode, GBH’s Kirk Carapezza and Jon Marcus of the Hechinger Report talk with students, economists and industry experts about what you need to know before handing over that giant tuition deposit. And it all starts with how much college will cost. Although it’s one of the biggest lifetime investm...

Higher education looms large in the American psyche: as the route to prosperity, a good job and a stable career. But the college dream can also be the source of crushing debt, an unfinished degree, and, sometimes, both. ---------- Credits: Hosts: Kirk Carapezza & Jon Marcus Supervising Editor: Megan Woolhouse Editor: Jeff Keating Executive Producer: Ellen London  Mixing and Sound Design: David...