"University students in Alaska kept asking Republican state Sen. Robert Myers why they were being blindsided with requirements to buy expensive textbooks after they signed up for classes, he said," Stateline reported.

... "That program, which says 526 schools have now signed on, is managed by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators."

"Karen McCarthy, vice president of public policy and federal relations for the group, said that in general, more transparency about college costs is a good thing. But, she said, when different states come up with different rules, it may become confusing."

"'You would think the no-brainer answer would be, 'Of course, more information is always better,''"McCarthy said. "But the devil is in the details. What information do they need, in what format?"

"She said when states differ in their posting dates or emailing dates for financial aid and course selections, 'it can become overwhelming to the point where we aren’t providing useful information to students anymore. It’s a bunch of piecemeal actions that overall makes the whole system a little less effective.'"

"She also suggested that bills like the one in Ohio that would require listing salaries of graduates in their majors is not easy to determine."

"'Say you are an English major, [your salary] depends on what you do with that,' she said."

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 2/28/2024