higher education

The cost of an education has never been higher. But by taking advantage of some tax benefits, you can at least put a small dent in some of those bills. Which of that complicated menu of tax benefits applies to you? DailyFinance breaks it down.

They say good things come to those who wait. They also say he who hesitates is lost. But when it comes to half a dozen juicy tax breaks, it's the second "they" you should listen to, because he who waits until Jan. 1, 2012, to take advantage of them will be out of luck.

When students drop out of college, it's not just disappointing for them and their parents -- it's also bad news for Uncle Sam, and even for their next-door neighbors. According to a new report, a single year's worth of dropouts cost the nation $4.5 billion in lost income, and lost federal and state income taxes.

My friend, Larissa, tells a story about a collections agent who called while she was working at an entry-level job for a non-profit and having a hard time making payments on her student loans. "You can't use your degree if you can't pay for it!" the woman almost shrieked at poor Larissa. Even...

The idea of need-blind admissions is noble: Offering qualified applicants admission to a university, regardless of their financial circumstances. But in too many cases, need-blind admissions mean young scholars are accepted to their dream schools under circumstances that would make attending financial suicide.

After falling off during the recession, donations to institutions of higher learning in 2010 recovered to the level they reached in 2006, but after adjusting for inflation, giving was still 8% lower than in that year, according to the Voluntary Support of Education survey.

More parents are realizing they don't need to ruin themselves financially for their children's education. But what if you have that epiphany after your kid has applied to her first-choice school early decision? If they accept her, she's committed, right? Wrong. You can -- and should -- break the contract.

Bernard Lander, founder of Touro College, received compensation of more than $4 million in 2008, making him the top-paid private college president that year. Touro trustees awarded the money to Lander after deciding he had been underpaid during his tenure as president, The Chronicle of Higher...

For a growing number of U.S. college graduates, a diploma marks the beginning of financial difficulties. The Education Department says those who were scheduled to begin paying back their student loans in 2007 were 52% more likely to default within two years compared with those who left college two years earlier.

The Princeton Review ranks colleges based on all sorts of factors: academics, best party schools, best classroom experience, etc. And now, the most and least beautiful campuses. Are they kidding? Have they seen what most students' dorm rooms look like?