A college's graduation rate is such a basic consumer fact for would-be students these days that it's difficult to imagine that the federal government didn't even collect the information as recently as the early 1990s. If not for two former Olympic basketball players who made their way to Congress and wanted college athletes to know about their…

With the growing demand for improving college completion rates has come a need for more thorough information about just how well or poorly colleges and their students are performing on a variety of measures. In a growing number of states, that data is being used to improve the number of students who finish their degrees. Some states and…

Students who attend college part time are at a disadvantage relative to their full-time peers, according to a report released in June by the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the U.S. Department of Education. The report analyzes data from a 2004 national postsecondary student-aid study to create a profile of part-time…

Both public and private higher education institutions say the recession is prompting increased enrollment in part-time training programs as adults prepare for new jobs. A danger is seen in institutions relegating continuing education to the role of surplus revenue generation. Greatest growth is in computer training, human-resource management,…

The success of Great Britain's Open University has become a model for distance education in the United States. The Open University is nonselective in admissions and designs its courses for part-time students and working adults. It plans to begin enrolling American students in a new sister institution, the United States Open University. (MSE)

Increasingly, state officials are dealing with the financial needs of the fastest-growing segment of the higher education market by expanding their financial aid programs to working people, parents, and students with disabilities who must attend college part time. (MLW)

Enrollment figures by level, enrollment status, and type and control of institution are presented, comparing public institutions with private institutions, and full-time students with part-time students. (MLW)

A renewed interest in social work is discussed. Trends causing a resurgence of interest include: part-time programs, older students returning to school to make career shifts, students pursuing degrees for jobs in the private, for-profit sector, and increased legal recognition of social work. (MLW)

Fall 1985 enrollment data are tabulated by institution type (doctoral, comprehensive, general baccalaureate, specialized, two-year, and new) and sector, sex, full- and part-time students, level of study (undergraduates, first-time freshmen, graduate students, and first professional students), and state. (MSE)

Tables showing college and university enrollments from 1970, 1975, and 1980, and projected enrollments for 1985-93, are presented. Enrollments are shown for public and private institutions, four-year and two-year institutions, undergraduate and graduate, male and female, and full-time and part-time students. (MLW)

Fall college enrollments are tabulated by sector (public and private), institution type (doctoral, comprehensive, general baccalaureate, and two-year), level of study (freshman, undergraduate, graduate, and first professional), state, sex, and part-time and full-time student status. (MSE)

Federal government enrollment projections are charted for men, women, public four- and two-year institutions, private four- and two-year institutions, full-time and part-time students, undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students, and full-time equivalency for each year from 1988 through 1997. (MSE)

Increases in the number of older students are prompting some colleges to reconsider the purpose of undergraduate liberal education and adjust curricula and teaching methods to accommodate the more eager, active learners. Adult students may be more directly motivated by rising job requirements and a readiness for liberal arts. (MSE)

Tables detail fall 1983 higher education enrollment by type and control of institutions, by student level, and by state. Included are students enrolled in specialized institutions and new institutions not yet classified. (MLW)

Perspectives are offered on tax reform, administrative policies, budget deficits, state economies, and changing philosophies on the government role in higher education. Contributors include scholars, students, parents, administrators, and various government and foundation officials. (MSE)