This week, Vanderbilt secured approval for its Florida campus, first-year enrollment fell nationwide, more college students are choosing to attend school in the south, the University of North Carolina prepares to rebuild after damages from Hurricane Helene, and the College Board released new data on this year’s average tuition and fees.
Vanderbilt University secured approval to build a $519 million, 300,000-square-foot graduate campus in West Palm Beach, Florida. The added campus, which will include a business school and an AI/data science “innovation hub,” could start hosting classes in 2026.
First-year enrollment fell by more than five percent this year, the steepest nationwide drop since the Covid-19 pandemic. Some experts say the FAFSA’s botched rollout may have played an outsized role in this decline.
A Wall Street Journal analysis found that more college students are going to school in the south, with the number of northerners attending southern public schools jumping 84 percent over the past two decades. Many students cite lower costs, strong school spirit, less political polarization on campus, and weather as reasons for their migration.
The University of North Carolina estimated that Hurricane Helene repairs will cost the UNC System about $32 million. UNC System officials also stated that 22,000 vacant jobs will be cut in the coming months.
The College Board found that this year’s average net tuition and fees surged by two percent at private colleges and universities, but fell by two percent at public institutions. Both figures remain well below the tuition and fees averages seen before the Covid-19 pandemic.
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