Education Secretary Arne Duncan pledged his commitment to affordable college tuition and a simpler process to apply for federal loans at a forum held in the UC Washington Center June 11.
Duncan and newly installed Undersecretary Ted Mitchell, who oversees higher education, met with over 100 students to solicit ideas on how to expand accessibility to colleges and universities.
Duncan noted the near universal agreement that a college education is among the most important steps anyone can take for their future and that high tuitions place an unreasonable burden on many who enroll.
The event at the UC Washington Center was part of the Obama administration’s push to expand college opportunities, easing the burden of student loans, and pressuring colleges to keep tuition low.
Mitchell, the former President of Occidental College and Dean of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, expressed sympathy for those who must navigate the maze of paperwork and bureaucracy required to apply for federal grants or loans.
“We need your ideas,’’ Mitchell told the students, many of whom are interning at educational institutions.
President Obama has called for the Department of Education to develop a ranking system that would rate colleges based on access, affordability and graduation rates.
“Other than getting married, this is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make’’ Duncan said of the decision over what college to attend.
Pointing out that the federal government spends $150 billion on grants and loans, he said: “We want money to go to those colleges who get results.’’
Some have criticized the rating system as a misleading measure of a college’s value. A university that admits low-achieving high school students, for example, might be penalized for not being able to retain them for four years.
Students expressed frustration over uncertainty of college costs, which can fluctuate year to year, and their ability to estimate the amount of financial aid they will receive prior to choosing where to pursue their education.