Expensive lessons: Charting the rise of college tuition fees

Expensive lessons: Charting the rise of college tuition fees

3/9/23 7:00PM

Collegiate grief

‍This week, private loan company SoFi filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education, attempting to stop the government-sanctioned student loan billing suspension that’s been benefiting the majority of borrowers for 36 months.

The filing comes as the conversation around student loans in the US amplifies, with Biden’s proposed forgiveness — which could see some 40 million former students have up to $20k of debt erased — hanging in the balance as the Supreme Court reviews a host of lawsuits against the motion.

‍The cost of education

‍College enrollment in the US has started to drop in recent years, falling some 4.1% in 2022, as would-be attendees question whether it’s still really worth it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which has been tracking the rising cost of college for the last 40 years, won’t relieve any prospective students of their financial pessimism either.

Indeed, the BLS estimates that college-goers are now forking out 1246% more than their predecessors were in 1980 — and that’s just on tuition fees. Textbooks, materials and other educational supplies have also soared 949% since then. Both are way ahead of overall inflation, which has climbed a relatively modest 285% over the same period.

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Tom Jones7/10/26

The most watched soccer match in US history got less than a third of the views the Super Bowl did

Between a top-spot finish in the group stage, a sweeping performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and the president’s controversial intervention, Monday evening’s USMNT game against Belgium had, to put it lightly, shaped up into a box-office clash.

And though the US players’ performance on the pitch might not have lived up to the high drama off it, American soccer fans certainly showed up. According to early estimates, the 4-1 defeat against Belgium was the most watched soccer telecast in US history, hauling some 40 million viewers on average across the coverage on Fox and Telemundo.

That may be a record tally in the US for the sport that much of the world calls some variant of “football” — besting the 36.2 million who tuned in to watch the team’s previous knock-out match — but it’s still peanuts in comparison to the sport that shares the same name in the States.

World cup viewers chart — Sherwood News

burning question

Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same

That perception gap on the issue is among the highest in the world, per a new Gallup poll.

Youth Climate Strikes Break Out Across The U.S.

Reddit alien stock exchange

Reddit’s advertising business is getting bigger. It’s already booming.

The platform will plow more money into its ad offerings as it cements itself as a “trove of human intelligence.”

Tom Jones6/22/26

45% of Americans say they’re not taking a summer vacation this year, mostly due to costs

Flight comparison site Skyscanner is recommending some cheaper alternatives closer to home.

Bored annoyed man looking funny and angry during his summer staycations

Despite slight declines, Japanese tourism figures are still hovering around record highs

Tourism: Still big in Japan.

Aerial view of Tokyo cityscape with Fuji mountain in Japan.

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