Asian Accomodations

In today’s economy, completing college and earning a degree is integral to a person’s success. While the world knows this, it seems it has dropped as a priority of the US, as we have gone from first in college graduation rates to tenth in the world. A recent study in Washington, D.C, has reported large numbers of college attendees never making it through their university, and such is also the case in many other states. On top of having to juggle work loads and full class schedules, low-income students are more increasingly burdened with worry about their rent or tuition, and take on part-time jobs to alleviate the financial stress.

But the financial strain of tuition does not go away with just a couple of part-time jobs, as more and more students are increasing their student loans and turning to private loans so they can worry less about tuition while in school. However, with excessively high student and private loan interest rates, and the added pressure of finding a well-paying job upon graduation to pay off those loans, dropout rates have been rising steadily. The report in Washington, D.C., especially, has drawn the notice of its community, and has become the initiative in taking the necessary steps to improve university completion rates, and the Western Governors University and DC College Success Foundation have begun to look at methods of earning degrees online.

As a result of the graduation problem in the US, on July 7, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that a $1.2 million grant would go to the Western Governors University (WGU) in order to research the efficacy of competency-based online university programs. Around 2,000 students will receive up to $50,000 over five years and the Foundation will also supply additional scholarships for D.C. students.

Throughout the country, people are increasingly beginning to take classes online, and a little more than 20% of campus students are taking a minimum of one web course. Taking online classes gives students access to affordable yet quality alternatives and less competitive demands on energy and time. Recent research from the Department of Education showed that students who take classes online do better on average than those who are taking the same classes on a physical campus. Online instruction in D. C. offers a practical way for students to work full-time while earning their degree and has the ability to dramatically improve college completion rates for determined, low-income students around the country.