She was guided to enroll in early college classes. 

Early college or dual enrollment courses are growing in popularity. According to , the number of students taking early college classes nearly doubled between 2011 and 2021. And for students in my home state, enrolling in these courses that they will start college immediately after graduating from high school and then persist for a second year.  

However, this opportunity is not unfolding equally. A recent showed that in Massachusetts, 64% of students taking dual enrollment classes are white, while just 10% are Black and 14% are Hispanic. Eighty percent are from high- or middle-income neighborhoods, while just 20% are from high-poverty areas.

How can schools close those gaps and allow more students to benefit? By embracing the idea that with the right support, everyone can succeed in them.

There are many essential elements to setting up a successful early college program.

First, make all students sign up. When these programs are limited to just some students, it creates a deficit mindset that others aren鈥檛 college material. In the early college program started in 2022 at my high school, all students are required to try at least one college class, some as early as ninth grade. This sends the message that all students can reach their full potential in a college environment. 

Second, have committed higher education partners whose professors are open to teaching high school students. At my school, all early college classes are headed by professors. Some come to Veritas to teach their courses, while for other classes, students travel to local colleges.

Third, make sure the classes will earn students college credit. These courses must have the necessary rigor so students will earn credits that will travel with them no matter when or where they choose to use them. Right now, 41% of juniors at my school are on track to graduate in 2026 with both a high school diploma and an associate degree, which will give them an invaluable head start academically. And 80% of them have earned credits that will be accepted at any community college, state college or state university in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This will save them both time and money. 

Fourth, provide extra support. Besides the professor, there should be an additional teacher in the class who understands the material and can show the students how to manage their time and ask for help when they need it. This extra guidance should happen both during the class and in companion classes held on off days, when the professor isn鈥檛 present. Such help students learn essential study skills and raise their awareness of the support that will be available to them when they reach college. Since are often reluctant to take the initiative to engage with faculty members, working with these extra teachers can increase their comfort level, setting them up for success. 

Beyond awarding credits, early college classes change the way students view themselves. Most of our early college courses have a 100% pass rate, and the students say their confidence has increased because they know they can handle challenging material. They also report having increased awareness of the value of a college degree, opening up the possibilities to pursue new fields of study and careers.

Students have said early college classes have made them less scared about the prospect of going to college. They are comfortable calling their teacher 鈥減rofessor鈥� and they know what a syllabus is. The classes have helped them build habits of success like time management and self-advocacy. Upperclassmen taking courses at the community college now know how to navigate a campus and are better able to picture themselves attending college full time. They have access to college-level labs and equipment that are more sophisticated than a typical high school can afford; have experienced the benefits of visiting a professor during office hours; and are versed in how to leverage administrative resources if they need extra accommodations.

They also learn from their mistakes. For example, a few students were surprised by how much a final paper impacted their grade in their Principles of Marketing course. They revised their work and won鈥檛 make that error again.

The students鈥� success validated the high expectations set for them and proved that the support offered paid off, giving each one a strong educational pathway, wherever it may lead.   The five most powerful words any student can utter are, 鈥淚 am a college student.鈥� That ninth grader is now in 11^th grade. Since starting her first Early College class 18 months ago, she has not started one fight, has near-perfect attendance and has passed all her high school and early college classes. Helping her and other students 鈥嬧�媟each her potential will set them up for a brighter future.

With college costs rising and some students and families questioning the return on investment of a four-year degree, a few pioneering state universities are exploring programs that would grant certain bachelor鈥檚 degrees in three years.

The programs, which also are being tried at some private schools, would require 90 credits instead of the traditional 120 for a bachelor鈥檚 degree, and wouldn鈥檛 require summer classes or studying over breaks. In some cases, the degrees would be designed to fit industry needs.

Indiana recently enacted legislation calling for all state universities there to offer by next year at least one bachelor鈥檚 degree program that could be completed in three years, and to look into whether more could be implemented. The Utah System of Higher Education has tasked state universities with developing three-year programs under a new Bachelor of Applied Studies degree, which would still need approval by accreditation boards.

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

More than a dozen public and private universities are participating in a pilot collaboration called the College-in-3 Exchange, to begin considering how they could offer three-year programs. The public universities include the College of New Jersey, Portland State University, Southern Utah University, the Universities of Minnesota at Rochester and at Morris, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and Utah Tech University.

Proponents of the three-year degree programs say they save students money and set them on a faster track to their working life. But detractors, including some faculty, say they shortchange students, particularly if they later change their minds on what career path they want to follow.

The Utah Board of Higher Education in March approved the new three-year degree category. Various areas of study would be tied to specific industry needs, with fewer electives required. These degrees are broader than two-year associate degrees, but narrower than a full four-year bachelor鈥檚.

鈥淲e told the institutions to start working on them now and developing the curriculum,鈥� Geoff Landward, commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education, said in an interview. 鈥淎lso, we want them to find industry partners that would be willing to hire people with bachelor鈥檚 degrees of this type.鈥�

He added: 鈥淲e created a sandbox for our institutions to play in.鈥�

Once created, individual programs would need both national accreditation and state Board of Higher Education approval.

Landward said he has taken note of criticism that the three-year programs might 鈥渃heapen鈥� the bachelor鈥檚 degree by shortchanging students who wouldn鈥檛 receive a broad college education. But he said students could save on tuition, get a head start in the workforce and meet the needs of industries that are looking for certain skilled workers to address shortages in the state.

That includes nursing, he said, where requiring a four-year degree means taking lots of electives that have nothing to do with the career.

Utah State University鈥檚 current , for example, suggests several electives along with the required anatomy, math and biology courses as prerequisites during freshman and sophomore years.

鈥淲e think if we are partnering with industry and they help us develop it, I don鈥檛 think it cheapens the degree,鈥� Landward said. 鈥淚 think it creates a very specific degree.鈥�

Robert Zemsky, a University of Pennsylvania professor and founding director of the university鈥檚 Institute for Research on Higher Education, began proselytizing for the three-year college movement about a dozen years ago.

He said the idea has gotten traction recently because 鈥渨e are wading in the deep waters of righteous anger鈥� at colleges and universities because of the perception that four-year degrees are not worth their high costs.

A Pew Research Center released last week found only 1 in 4 American adults said it is extremely or very important to have a four-year college degree as a means to getting a good-paying job. Only 22% of the respondents said the cost is worth getting a four-year degree even if the student or their family has to take out loans.

Zemsky suggested that a shorter time span also would lead to higher college completion rates. More than a third of students who began seeking a bachelor鈥檚 degree in fall 2014 at a four-year school failed to complete their education at the same institution in six years, the National Center for Education Statistics.

Zemsky said 27 colleges and universities have embarked on creating three-year pilot programs and predicted 100 would be doing so in another year.

Over the past 10 years, Zemsky said, schools have been ignoring the desires of students and instead creating their curricula around the preferences of faculty 鈥� which is where most of the opposition is coming from.

Last year, at a conference of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, a bargaining unit for professors, President Kenneth Mash said the overwhelming number of college faculty nationwide 鈥渉ave a visceral disdain for the idea.鈥�

In an interview with Stateline, he said three-year programs would hurt students too, creating a 鈥渢wo-tiered鈥� system under which wealthy students would get a full four-year education and lower-income students a cheapened three-year degree.

鈥淚f it鈥檚 not going to be a four-year degree, they should name it something that indicates it鈥檚 not a B.A.,鈥� said Mash, who also is a political science at East Stroudsburg University. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know that employers will treat them the same.

鈥淚鈥檓 on board, as most faculty are, with the notion that people want to increase their job opportunities. But that鈥檚 not all there is to a college degree,鈥� he said. 鈥淒egrees prepare you to be a better citizen, a better parent, and on and on.鈥�

And he said a broad education is what makes it possible for students to change jobs and careers many times during their working lives. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really that baking in liberal arts 鈥� that makes it possible for people to do different things in their lifetimes.鈥�

Indiana鈥檚 new law

Indiana enacted a in March that requires each public institution that offers bachelor鈥檚 degrees to review all the four-year degrees with an eye toward making some of them three years. And the law requires that by July 1, 2025, each state university offer at least one bachelor鈥檚 degree that can be completed in three years.

Indiana state Sen. Jean Leising, a Republican who sponsored the measure, pointed out that every extra year of college costs the students, their parents and the state.

But she noted that not all degrees lend themselves to compressed curricula. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a kid in pharmacy [studies], they are not going to be able to get through it in three years. Engineers aren鈥檛 going to be able to do it in three years. But some of the other kids will.鈥�

Chris Lowery, Indiana鈥檚 commissioner for higher education, said the law will encourage schools to think about how to create 90-credit-hour bachelor鈥檚 degrees: 鈥淗ow feasible is this, would you still have the quality, would you still have the agency?鈥�

Three-year degrees allow for choice, he added. His daughter, for example, had enough AP credits after high school to make a college degree feasible in three years, but opted to go to school for four, because she wanted to have enough time to study so that she could get 鈥渟traight As鈥� as well as to have time for extracurricular activities.

鈥淏ut for a lot of students, the finances are tighter,鈥� he acknowledged.

Credentialing requirements

At both public and private universities, the new three-year degree programs that require fewer credits would need national accreditation.

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, a regional credentialing agency, several three-year bachelor鈥檚 degrees at two private schools, Brigham Young University-Idaho and Ensign College, last year. The degrees are in applied business management, family and human services, software development, applied health and professional studies.

Sonny Ramaswamy, the commission鈥檚 president, said in an interview that the three-year programs underwent two years of evaluation before being awarded accreditation.

He said the evaluation showed that competency in many professions could be attained in three years instead of four, and that graduate schools were willing to accept three-year bachelor鈥檚 as a credential for the pursuit of higher degrees. He noted that European college degrees often are completed in three years.

鈥淲e said, 鈥榃e will approve you, but this is a pilot,鈥欌�� Ramaswamy said. The schools will provide data to show their students have earned a good education, he added.

鈥淢y intuition is that it will head in the right direction,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he public is calling for innovation.鈥�

Michael Poliakoff, president of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a nonprofit organization that says its mission is promoting academic freedom, excellence and accountability at colleges and universities, said 鈥渇luff鈥� courses strengthen the case against a 120-credit hour bachelor鈥檚 degree.

鈥淟et people get a good foundation with a strong general education core, strong skills and some electives,鈥� Poliakoff said in an interview. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what a responsible university should be doing.鈥�

The council does an annual of higher education institutions and grades them A through F on what the group calls 鈥渃ore curricula鈥� 鈥� the proportion of courses dedicated to mathematics, literature, composition, economics, laboratory science, American history and government, and foreign languages.

Poliakoff said the amount of debt students are accumulating over four years is 鈥渟inful鈥� and unnecessary. Colleges and universities must meet the concerns of students and their families, he said.

鈥淎 90-credit baccalaureate degree is a pretty good way to tighten up the bolts,鈥� he said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on and .

Texas transplant Elon Musk is planning to start a university in Austin, according first reported by Bloomberg News.

The charity, called The Foundation, plans to use a $100 million gift from Musk to create and launch a primary and secondary school in Austin focused on teaching science, technology, engineering and math. Once it is fully operational, the filing states, the school will focus on creating a university. The school intends to seek accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, a necessary first step to launch the school.

According to the filing, the university would teach students in person 鈥渁s well as using distance education technologies.鈥� It expects to start enrollment with 50 students and scale up over time. The school would fund its activities through donations and tuition fees, though the filing also states that if a student cannot pay tuition or fees, the school could provide financial aid. It is currently hiring an executive director, teachers and administrators, the filing states.

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

Musk鈥檚 plan to start a new university in Austin 鈥� already home to the flagship University of Texas at Austin and multiple other private universities 鈥� comes just as another new private school in the city plans to officially open to students in fall 2024.

The University of Austin was launched two years ago by a group of higher education critics in response to their belief that U.S. college campuses were no longer a place where students and faculty can openly exchange ideas.

University of Austin President Pano Kanelos said he hopes the school can be a champion for free speech and open inquiry.

鈥淲e’re just living in a moment where things seem to be coming apart, where people seem to be pulled away from each other, where institutions seem to be shaking in their foundations,鈥� Kanelos said. 鈥淭he best response is to build new things.鈥�

Musk鈥檚 new university does not yet have a name. The Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Foundation鈥檚 trustees include Jared Birchall, head of Musk鈥檚 family office; Steven Chidester, a tax attorney at Withersworldwide; and Ronald Gong and Teresa Holland, who work at Catalyst Family Office in California, according to Bloomberg.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

This article originally appeared in at .

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Officials from Indiana鈥檚 public colleges and universities agreed Thursday that their schools need to do a better job at convincing Hoosier students of the value of four-year degrees.

The discussion took place during the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute鈥檚 annual luncheon in downtown Indianapolis.

Representatives from Indiana, Purdue, Ball State and Vincennes universities, as well as Indiana State and Ivy Tech Community College, conceded that rising tuition costs are deterring thousands of students from post-high school educations.

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

鈥淗ow do we demonstrate the value of the education?鈥� asked Christopher Ruhl, chief financial officer and treasurer at Purdue University. 鈥淲hy would I spend all this money and incur all this debt? That鈥檚 what students are asking. And we鈥檝e also got to sell this better and make sure the degree is worth the value. What鈥檚 your return on investment? Is this a good value? We hope at Purdue the answer is a resounding yes, but we have to continue focusing on that.鈥�

More student aid 鈥� and transparency about costs

Despite pushback from some state lawmakers and budget officials, Indiana鈥檚 public colleges and universities are slated to increase tuition and fees over the biennium 鈥� up to 4.9% per year 鈥� according to .

The revelation has since put the state鈥檚 higher education officials in the hot seat and prompted calls for Indiana schools to renew efforts to make degrees more affordable and valuable for students.

Concerns also surround Indiana鈥檚 declining college-going rate. The state鈥檚 higher education commissioner indicated in June that Indiana鈥檚 already dismal college-going rate has declined by roughly another half-percent.

Data released last year showed that only half of Indiana鈥檚 2020 high school graduates pursued some form of college education beyond high school. The drop marked the, but the decline has been ongoing for the last five years.

That鈥檚 compared to five years ago, when 65% of Indiana鈥檚 high school graduates pursued some form of higher education.

Dominick Chase, a senior vice president for Ivy Tech Community College, said Indiana institutions 鈥渨ant to keep prices low as possible,鈥� not just for tuition, but for other expenses, too.

鈥淣o one likes to be surprised by the end of the process when you have fees you weren鈥檛 expecting at the beginning,鈥� he said, adding that鈥檚 why Ivy Tech strives to 鈥渂e transparent at the front about how much it鈥檚 going to cost.鈥�

The state鈥檚 largest public postsecondary institution is trying to ease the financial burden on students by , he noted. This fall, eligible students are assessed just $17 per credit hour for textbooks. Next year, that fee will drop to $16 per credit hour.

Dwayne Pinkney, Indiana University鈥檚 executive vice president for finance and administration, emphasized that IU鈥檚 tuition prices are among the lowest in the Big 10, and that the school is 鈥渃ommitted to getting institutional aid鈥� to as many students as possible.

鈥淲e certainly recognize that tuition increases create challenges for students and families,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure we鈥檙e doing everything we can.鈥�

Still, Pinkney doubled down that 鈥渋nvestments鈥� in the state鈥檚 schools still offer 鈥済reat returns.鈥� He said 80% or more of the university鈥檚 funds are needed to compensate 鈥渢he excellent faculty, researchers and support staff who provide the best opportunities for our students.鈥�

Anand Marri, Ball State鈥檚 interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said utility costs are also on the rise, affecting some schools鈥� budgets. Even though the Muncie school has the largest geothermal system in the country, utility costs have increased by more than 5%, he said.

Marri added that university research shows a four-year degree provides more than $1.7 million to a graduate over their lifetime, and that schools 鈥渉ave to get that message across to an increasingly skeptical audience.鈥�

Even so, Chase recognized how easy it is 鈥渢o get on YouTube now and learn things faster.鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think, as a consumer in this day in age, that we鈥檇 want to take this length of time to learn something,鈥� he said of traditional college degrees. 鈥淪tudents want to do more, faster.鈥�

Vincennes University President Charles Johnson agreed, and said the state鈥檚 schools can collaborate even more, given 鈥渢here are multiple ways to get the same bachelor鈥檚 degree.鈥�

Indiana State University Vice President Diann McKee said focusing on higher education pathways is especially important for attractions and retaining first generation and Pell Grant-eligible students.

鈥淭hose are the students we primarily serve,鈥� McKee said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for us, and for them, to make sure we鈥檙e maintaining affordability for four-year degrees.鈥�

Prospects for new Indianapolis campus

Also discussed during the Thursday meeting was the dissolution of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Following a 53-year partnership, the school will be separated into two 鈥� Indiana University Indianapolis and Purdue University in Indianapolis 鈥� beginning in July 2024.

University officials reiterated Thursday that the split will help each school expand their academic and research portfolios, in addition to making a positive impact on the state鈥檚 economy.

Dan Hasler, chief operating officer for Purdue in Indianapolis, said the restructured urban campus won鈥檛 have its own chancellor. Instead, the goal is for Boilermakers and faculty at the Indianapolis location to be 鈥渋n sync鈥� with the flagship West Lafayette campus.

The Indianapolis extension will especially focus on various 鈥渇lavors鈥� of engineering degrees, as well as other science and business-related majors.

He further noted that 80% of students who apply to Purdue鈥檚 West Lafayette campus to do computer science get rejected 鈥� not because they aren鈥檛 qualified, but because the university 鈥渋s out of space.鈥� The Indianapolis location is a chance to give those students the education they want, Hassler continued.

Between 800 and 1,100 new first-year students are expected in Indianapolis in Fall 2024, with the goal that most students will be residential on the campus in the coming years.

As Purdue looks forward, Hasler said the university is hoping to introduce additional fields of study, including in agriculture and motorsports engineering 鈥� given the close proximity to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

On the Indiana University side, Michael Huber, vice president of university relations, said the Indianapolis campus will help meet 鈥渟ignificant demand鈥� for health and life sciences. While the 65-mile corridor running from West Lafayette to Indianapolis has become what some are calling the 鈥淗ard Tech Corridor,鈥� Huber said IU is coining the stretch of Interstate 69 between Bloomington and Indianapolis the 鈥淟ife Science Corridor.鈥�

To help, new applied research partnerships with Eli Lilly, also located in Indianapolis, are in the works, he said.

Additional libraries and health services are also coming together on the campus that can be shared by students at both universities, he said.

The two university officials said the combined central Indiana campus should help increase retention of current students, as well as recent graduates.

IU Indianapolis announced its own initiative last month to offer direct admission to Indianapolis Public Schools students who have a grade point average of at least 3.0. Huber said the program has already garnered a 鈥渇lood鈥� of interest from other Marion County high schools who want the same opportunity for their students.

鈥淲e鈥檙e banking on relationships,鈥� Hasler added, referring to collaborations in Indianapolis between the universities and industry.

But he emphasized that Indiana-based companies 鈥渉ave to compete,鈥� too. That means more internships, apprenticeship programs and other incentives will need to come together to better 鈥渨oo鈥� students to stay in the Hoosier state.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on and .

Late Thursday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction in a suit challenging the employer portion of Florida’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act, suspending enforcement of the law in the workplace. The Obama-nominated judge wrote in his Honeyfund v. DeSantis : 

“In the popular television series Stranger Things, the ‘upside down’ describes a parallel dimension containing a distorted version of our world. Recently, Florida has seemed like a First Amendment upside down. Normally, the First Amendment bars the state from burdening speech, while private actors may burden speech freely. But in Florida, the First Amendment apparently bars private actors from burdening speech, while the state may burden speech freely.”

A separate lawsuit filed Thursday morning challenges the portion of the law that applies to colleges and universities.

A federal lawsuit filed Thursday charges that a Florida law designed to 鈥渇ight back against woke indoctrination鈥� by limiting classroom discussions of race and gender violates the constitutional free speech rights of college students and professors.

Florida’s Stop Wrongs Against Our Kids and Employees (Stop W.O.K.E.) Act took effect July 1. It prohibits workplaces and schools from requiring training or instruction that may make some people feel they bear 鈥減ersonal responsibility鈥� for historic wrongdoings because of their race, gender or national origin.

But Jerry Edwards, staff attorney with the ACLU of Florida, one of the legal organizations behind the case, said the law unconstitutionally censors the free expression of higher education students and educators.

鈥淭he Stop W.O.K.E. Act is a shameful result of propaganda and fearmongering,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淎 free state does not seek to curtail the inalienable right to free expression in its college and university classrooms.鈥�

The Florida Department of Education did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Florida is one of 17 states that have sought to restrict how educators cover topics related to race and gender, according to a . 

However, it鈥檚 the only state that applies its censorship law to higher education, said Leah Watson, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union鈥檚 Racial Justice Program.

鈥淭here is a longstanding history in the Supreme Court and courts across our country of recognizing the freedom of professors, lecturers and educators in higher education to determine what to teach and how to teach it,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视. 

Seven Florida professors and one undergraduate are named as plaintiffs, represented by the national ACLU, ACLU of Florida, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the law firm of Ballard Spahr. The suit names the state university system鈥檚 board of governors and several other officials as defendants. It requests an injunction seeking an immediate halt to enforcement of the bill in colleges and universities.

Plaintiff Russell Almond is an associate professor teaching statistics at Florida State University and covers how to use race as a variable in empirical research. Provisions in the Stop W.O.K.E. Act that prohibit educators from presenting 鈥渃olorblind鈥� ideologies as racist put his teachings in jeopardy, the lawsuit charges.

Another professor, Dana Thompson Dorsey, will teach a course in 鈥淐ritical Race Studies: Research, Policy and Praxis鈥� at the University of South Florida this school year. She fears that explaining how racism is embedded in American institutions 鈥� a central aspect of the scholarly framework 鈥� could put her in violation of the law. While the Sunshine State does not explicitly ban Critical Race Theory, Gov. Ron DeSantis鈥檚 office has said the law is intended to .

鈥淚n Florida, we will not let the far-left woke agenda take over our schools and workplaces. There is no place for indoctrination or discrimination in Florida,鈥� DeSantis said after he signed the bill into law in April.

The act forces many educators to present foundational principles of their disciplines in a 鈥渇alse light,鈥� presenting them as 鈥渄isputed when it鈥檚 honestly not,鈥� said Watson. 

Plaintiff Johana Dauphin, a senior at Florida State University, worries that she will be ill prepared for graduate school if the law interferes with her professors鈥� ability to convey key understandings that students in other states receive.

鈥淚 fear that this law will cause my professors to avoid discussing race and gender altogether, which will result in my perspective and lived experience as a Black, female student being effectively minimized and erased in the classroom,鈥� said Dauphin. 鈥淎s a student, I deserve to see myself and the issues that impact me 鈥� including issues around race and gender 鈥� reflected in my classroom discussions.鈥�

Thursday鈥檚 filing marks the third lawsuit the ACLU has brought against a statewide censorship law. Similar cases in Oklahoma and have yet to be decided.

A previous legal challenge seeking to prevent the Stop W.O.K.E. Act from taking effect was dismissed by a federal judge in June. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker clarified in a 23-page order that he was not 鈥渄etermining whether the challenged regulations are constitutional, morally correct or good policy.鈥� Rather, the four plaintiffs 鈥� two professors, a student and a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant 鈥� .

Other lawsuits challenging the Florida law remain undecided. At an early August hearing, Walker appeared to arguments leveled against the state by several businesses, including a Ben & Jerry鈥檚 franchise. The federal judge emphasized the vagueness of a particular section that labels training discriminatory if it causes an employee to believe a person of 鈥渙ne race, color, sex, or national origin cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race, color, sex or national origin.鈥�

鈥淎pparently, I鈥檓 a person of below-average intelligence, because I have no idea what that means,鈥� said Walker.

John Ohlendorf, an attorney representing the state, defended the provisions: 鈥淭he state of Florida has a compelling interest in preventing employers from forcing employees to listen to speech that suggests one race is inherently superior to another.鈥�

The case brought Thursday is 鈥渇ramed differently鈥� than prior challenges, Watson said. It has yet to be assigned, but it鈥檚 possible Walker could be the one to review it. Should that happen, the ACLU hopes for a speedy ruling, as he has moved in a matter of weeks on previous decisions around the bill. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e confident the Stop W.O.K.E. Act unconstitutionally infringes upon academic freedom and students鈥� right to learn,鈥� said Watson. 鈥淚’m not able to comment predicting what the court may say.鈥�

Along with her peer Reese Wiley, Laufgraben decided to launch a new group, IU Students for Reproductive Rights. In Indiana, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday announced an emergency legislative session in early July, likely to enact a . 

With that backdrop, IU Students for Reproductive Rights will support people on campus with uteruses, run voter registration drives and share information about ways to take action, such as a Monday in Bloomington, said Laufgraben.

On Saturday, the leaders created an for the new group. Just a few days since its founding, the account already has hundreds of followers. More than 80 students have reached out asking how they can get involved. 

鈥淲e were not expecting so many people to be coming to us, saying, 鈥業’m passionate, I want to help,鈥欌�� Laufgraben told 蜜桃影视.

The co-founders created a group chat for their new student members. A cascade of messages quickly began pouring in:

鈥淗ey guys,鈥� one student wrote, 鈥淚 just wanted to say to anyone on here, if you need support or love during this time, don’t hesitate to reach out.鈥�

鈥淚’m so grateful for the support because this is such an important issue that needs action immediately,鈥� added another.

The camaraderie and uplift after a Friday ruling that left her and others 鈥渉eartbroken,鈥� said Laufgraben, has been encouraging.

鈥淚t has been sparking so many conversations and it’s honestly really beautiful because people are finding support within this group,鈥� she said.

The response among Indiana University students is one of many examples of youth across the country rallying for reproductive rights in response to the Supreme Court鈥檚 Dobbs v. Jackson Women鈥檚 Organization decision.

鈥淵oung people who have not been previously involved in the abortion movement are feeling called to act,鈥� Tamara Marzouk told 蜜桃影视. 

Marzouk works with hundreds of youth advocates for reproductive rights as director of abortion access at the nonprofit . In the days since the Friday ruling, she鈥檚 seen a new wave of young people become galvanized over abortion access. 

In the 24 hours after the Supreme Court announced it was overturning Roe, more than 150 young people across the country 鈥� in states where abortion remains legal as well as where it is now banned 鈥� signed up to join the and work for reproductive rights in their communities, she said.

Since a leaked majority SCOTUS opinion came out in early May, youth advocates have been preparing for the possible overturn of Roe, including similar to what Laufgraben and her peers will pursue.

鈥淲e still need to be fighting for abortion policy, but in the meantime, young people are really taking care of one another,鈥� said Marzouk.

, a Gen Z-led organization working to help youth nationwide get involved in politics, issued a statement promising mobilization at the polls in response to the ruling.

鈥淸Friday鈥檚] decision makes clear that the Supreme Court does not represent Gen Z or the future we imagine for our country,鈥� the organization wrote. 鈥淲e must elect representatives who will protect us when the courts have failed. Our generation will not stop fighting for reproductive rights 鈥� for human rights.鈥�

Abortions are now illegal or heavily restricted in , and 12 other states have laws in place that could pave the way for similar bans. Still more, including Indiana, are expected to soon enact new laws outlawing the procedures.

In the past, Indiana University students seeking to terminate a pregnancy have been able to receive treatment at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bloomington, Indiana, said Laufgraben. But if the legislature criminalizes the procedures, young people would soon have to trek out of state to receive care 鈥� an option that will be difficult for students who don鈥檛 have access to transportation or can鈥檛 get permission to skip their classes and on-campus jobs.

In Arkansas, a near-total abortion ban is already in effect with . Ali Taylor, president and co-founder of the Arkansas Abortion Support Network, said the law will have a disproportionate impact on young people.

鈥淚t’s difficult for minors to travel,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淢ost minors will probably [now] have great difficulty in accessing abortion.鈥�

Taylor鈥檚 organization is based in Little Rock and the closest clinic now available is in Granite City, Illinois, a five hour drive away.

The fall of Roe 鈥渕ost adversely affects communities that are already marginalized,鈥� Marzouk emphasized. 鈥淭here are some people who might be able to travel across state lines. That may not be a burden as much for some people as it is for others.鈥�

Laufgraben, for her part, is still absorbing the possible implications on her Indiana campus. But she鈥檚 determined to continue to push for change.

鈥淩ight now is really scary,鈥� said the young organizer. But 鈥渢he fight isn鈥檛 over.鈥�

Over the past year, rising eight grader Lindsey Shanley had opportunities that many students in small rural towns aren鈥檛 often afforded.

Shanley spent this year in virtual talks with astronauts at the International Space Station, a congresswoman in Washington, D.C., professional sports team managers, NASA scientists, executives, and college professors from across the country. She also had regular virtual meetings with her mentor, a student-athlete at Middlebury College in Vermont, to talk about college life, majors and career options, and how to prepare for college.

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

Shanley lives in Beekmantown, New York, a place in the Adirondack region that is 鈥渨hat you call farm country.鈥� She said these programs made being remote for part of the school year manageable. 鈥淚t was just nice to know that even though we鈥檙e away, we still have people we can talk to and our mentors are online,鈥� Shanley said.

Shanley鈥檚 school, Beekmantown Middle School, partnered with the nonprofit (CFES) Brilliant Pathways. CFES is based in nearby Essex, New York, and has been active for 30 years working to help students in rural and urban areas across the country become college- and career-ready. Prior to the pandemic, its college readiness program was mostly offered in person and on site. It included student mentorship, college or career exploration, professional development resources for educators, and help to families trying to figure out the different pathways to college.

While the pandemic created challenges for the nonprofit, including how to make sure students had reliable internet access, the organization discovered a silver lining: In a hybrid world, kids who are often left out had access to wider networks and more opportunities.

The pandemic has only increased the urgency of CFES鈥檚 efforts to help kids get to college. Nationwide, rural students already had before the pandemic, but the number of rural students planning to attend college plummeted by more than in 2020, according to recent data.

Tapping into their existing network of colleges, business partners and students around the country, CFES was able to connect students from rural towns in upstate New York, rural Texas, and Eastern Tennessee to more urban and diverse communities in Atlanta and Boston. The program offered one-on-one virtual college mentors, virtual campus tours and talks with college professors and current students, along with meetings with various industry professionals and experts from different states.

Program officials said college and corporate business partnerships from around the country allowed them to introduce rural students to professionals in careers they may not have seen or considered.

鈥淲e got to meet all of these different people who we wouldn鈥檛 necessarily be able to meet with because we鈥檙e not from a big town,鈥� Shanley said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 really get a lot of these opportunities. You don鈥檛 have like a bunch of astronauts in space who come from around here, or a bunch of different athletes who come from around here.鈥�

Brett McClelland is the North Country Brilliant Pathways program director. Before the pandemic, McClelland was a CFES fellow working at Shanley鈥檚 middle school. McClelland attended college nearby and has since lived and worked in the area known as New York鈥檚 North Country, close to the Canadian border.

Many of the students he works with are from rural backgrounds, from communities where they might not be aware of the variety of local business and career opportunities. McClelland鈥檚 students are often the first in their families to go to college, so providing them with mentors, as well as the skills and tools they need to reach college or pursue any career is 鈥渧ery important,鈥� he said.

For example, when McClelland was working in Beekmantown schools, a CFES career interest survey revealed that 62 percent of the male students wanted to be professional athletes, YouTubers or video game players. The program partnered with Champlain College to introduce students to video game design, then paired up with the Kansas City Chiefs to introduce students to sports management professionals. After one year, McClelland said, the 62 percent went down to 19.

The goal wasn鈥檛 鈥渃rushing dreams,鈥� McClelland said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e providing them alternate avenues and opportunities to continue their passions,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut within a framework that provides a long-lasting, realistic career and then how to get there.鈥�

Shanley said McClelland and CFES instructors helped her realize that even if she couldn鈥檛 be a pro athlete, she could still work in sports as a manager or recruiter or nutritionist. The program also helped her discover her love of STEM.

After meeting with people who work in various sectors, such as finance, science, sports and business, Shanley said she鈥檚 learned that she wants to do something hands-on, focused in STEM or athletics.

Shanley said hearing from people on different pathways all over the country 鈥� sometimes in communities similar to her own 鈥� opened her eyes to the kinds of opportunities available to her and her classmates.

鈥淚 really thought I [was] going to go to a big city and work in a big city place because that鈥檚 where all the good jobs are,鈥� she said. After going through the seminars with CFES and seeing the opportunities available in her own backyard, Shanley said she can do what she loves in the place she loves without having to move away.

鈥淭hey showed me that you鈥檙e from a small town, but you can still do big things,鈥� she said.

Now, CFES is planning to expand with an initiative specifically for rural students in the North Country region. Earlier this summer, the organization announced a $1.5 million, three-year investment to support low-income students in 20 rural schools, both virtually and in-person.

Students will gain college knowledge, get a mentor, learn how to pay for college, develop study skills, complete CFES鈥檚 scholar program, visit colleges in person and virtually, and learn about the job market, according to Rick Dalton, the group鈥檚 president and CEO.

This story about was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. It is published here in partnership with . Sign up for .

It鈥檚 not worst-case scenario stuff. The 18-month dropoff was 8.7%, but administrators feared a 20% decrease.

By placing a premium on face-to-face learning 鈥� in the midst of a public health crisis 鈥� the Idaho schools served those students who were determined to start or continue college. Students who were willing to travel across state lines for an in-person classroom experience. Students who wouldn鈥檛, or couldn鈥檛, put their education on hold.

The story of Idaho higher education in 2020-21 is one of adaptation.

Boise State University administrators scrambled to move classes from lecture halls to the stands at ExtraMile Arena. Professors adjusted to move classes to an online platform, including hands-on labs that didn鈥檛 translate easily to the Zoom zone. Students adjusted to face masks, socially distanced dorms and cafeterias and frequent COVID tests 鈥� and some said they got into the habit of sleeping in, clicking on their laptops and quickly logging into an online class while wearing pajamas.

As a historic year ends, a challenge looms: reversing the 18-month enrollment decline.

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 蜜桃影视 Newsletter

Idaho鈥檚 colleges and universities are in urgent need of student tuition and fees, after decades of receiving a shriveling slice of the state budget.

The enrollment problem is a financial and economic problem, since employers need qualified workers in order to locate, expand or stay in Idaho. Perhaps most importantly, a college degree opens new career options for Idaho鈥檚 young adults 鈥� who have said no to college in the past year, and in alarming numbers.

Idaho鈥檚 numbers and national patterns

In all, 53,391 students were enrolled this spring at Idaho鈥檚 two- and four-year schools. In fall 2019, pre-pandemic, enrollment totaled 58,454. (This number does not include dual-credit enrollment, high school students taking college-level classes through one of the institutions.)

Enrollment has fallen by at least 5 percent at every public college and university, save for the College of Eastern Idaho, the state鈥檚 smallest and newest community college.

The raw numbers tell only part of the story.

Last fall, that are hard to get under normal circumstances: first-generation college students and students who qualify for federal financial aid. Enrollment numbers for Hispanic students were mixed, increasing at some schools, decreasing at others.

Plus, nearly every college and university in the state saw a dropoff in first-year enrollment 鈥� recent high school graduates continuing their education.

Idaho鈥檚 community colleges have taken the brunt of the enrollment decline, much like their counterparts nationally. And the high school graduating class of 2020 didn鈥檛 just do a disappearing act in Idaho; nationally, freshman college enrollment fell by 13 percent and 20 percent at the community colleges.

In recent years, American colleges have made up ground on the equity gap, attracting a more diverse student body. But the decrease in first-year college enrollment has been most acute in high schools with high poverty or high numbers of minority students, said Douglas Shapiro, vice president for research and executive director for the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center in Herndon, Virginia.

鈥淥verall, the effect has been that this pandemic, as in so many other areas, has been exposing and widening the existing inequities of our society,鈥� Shapiro said during an Education Writers Association national seminar in May.

Idaho鈥檚 missing students

In the spring of 2020, the state鈥檚 three four-year universities were poised for an enrollment boom. Applications and admissions were strong, and it was only a question of how many prospects would arrive on campus.

When the pandemic hit, the rosy forecasts withered away.

For one thing, when Idaho high school seniors were sent home for the rest of the year, the job of the school adviser became even busier than before. They had less time to help seniors work their way through the college application gauntlet; shifting into triage mode, the advisers simply had to make sure seniors were keeping up with their high school work and on track to graduate.

鈥淭hey were challenged just to get a hold of students,鈥� said Kris Collins, Boise State University鈥檚 associate vice president for enrollment services.

At the University of Idaho, some of the trends are reversed.

For spring 2021, new, first-time student numbers are up 10 percent from a year ago. New students were willing to give a first year of college a try, and out-of-state students came seeking the face-to-face experience they couldn鈥檛 get at home, said Dean Kahler, the university鈥檚 vice provost for strategic enrollment management.

However, the U of I鈥檚 returning student numbers have fallen by nearly 6 percent since last spring, causing an overall enrollment decrease. Kahler clicked off several factors. Some students stayed home because of the economic downturn, others were worried about the virus, while others didn鈥檛 want a repeat of their online college experience from the spring of 2020.

Not unlike the scientists and infectious disease experts who have tried to unlock the mysteries of the coronavirus, college and university officials have been trying to determine the pandemic鈥檚 effects on their institutions.

Last summer, College of Southern Idaho officials were staring at a big enrollment dropoff. The numbers rebounded at the last minute. CSI Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Communication Chris Bragg isn鈥檛 quite sure why, but college officials have some theories.

CSI marketed aggressively during the summer. The college opened the campus to instant summer signup days, which allowed socially distanced students to show up for the first time, register for classes outdoors, and leave at the end of the day with a class schedule. The promise of some face-to-face instruction might have been a draw for students who were uneasy about enrolling at a costlier four-year school that couldn鈥檛 guarantee in-person instruction.

But mysteries remain. Pointing to , which tumbled to 38% last fall, Bragg isn鈥檛 really sure what became of the area high schools鈥� class of 2020, or whether these students might show up later.

鈥淥ur speculation is they鈥檙e still around,鈥� he said.

A year of declining enrollment and changing demographics

To a large extent, Idaho colleges and universities are surviving the pandemic by attracting out-of-state students.

But while out-of-state students chose Idaho, Idaho students evidently chose a hiatus. That鈥檚 what Boise State learned when it tracked its no-show students. 鈥淭hey are taking a true wait and see,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淭hey are legitimately sitting completely out.鈥�

The result: Since the pandemic, in-state enrollment has fallen by 10.9%, while out-of-state enrollment has decreased by only 1.5%.

Nearly three of every four students in Idaho鈥檚 colleges and universities still come from Idaho. And the U of I and Boise State say that the out-of-state students will not squeeze out qualified in-state applicants. But the trend is clear. Boise State鈥檚 nonresident undergraduate enrollment has climbed from 4,422 to 6,400 since the spring of 2017. Nonresident applications are up 35 percent at the U of I, Kahler said, a result of marketing across the Western Undergraduate Exchange, a multistate program requiring out-of-state students to pay no more than 150 percent of a school鈥檚 in-state tuition.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 been incredibly intentional for us,鈥� he said.

That sounds good, until you look at the flipside. Fewer in-state students, fewer first-generation and rural students and flat or decreasing Latino enrollment all add up to campuses that look a little bit less like Idaho itself.

It鈥檚 a troubling trend 鈥� and maybe an unsustainable one, especially if out-of-state students decide to stay close to home after the pandemic.

The pandemic has posed many challenges for Idaho colleges, while exposing the stubborn problem of trying to attract a more diverse student community.

Boise State President Marlene Tromp is acutely aware of the problem and the political implications, as conservative lawmakers question whether Idaho鈥檚 campuses reflect Idaho鈥檚 values. But as a first-generation college student from rural Green River, Wyoming, solving the enrollment problem, post-pandemic, is a personal cause.

鈥淲e have a special responsibility to serve students who were like me,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e do a disservice to the world if we don鈥檛 educate those young people and get their voices into the conversation.鈥�

These stories were produced with support from an Education Writers Association fellowship.

This series, at a glance

Monday, June 21:听Eighteen months, 5,000 students: Idaho colleges and universities face a deep enrollment decline

Monday, June 21:听

Tuesday, June 22:

Wednesday, June 23:

Thursday, June 24:

Originally posted on on June 21, 2021

James Smith missed his final housing payment to the University of Massachusetts Amherst when he spent a year there in an exchange program on his way to a degree at the University of Minnesota.

Strapped and with his family struggling financially at the time, he promised to pay off the $2,000 balance as soon as he could. But then collection fees were added and, because of a clerical mistake, he was charged an additional amount owed by another student with the same name.

Smith gave up. In response, the university refused to release his transcript showing the credits he had earned and paid for during his time at UMass. To make up for them, he had to take a crush of extra courses back in Minnesota 鈥� the maximum allowed without requiring additional tuition 鈥� until he had enough to graduate.

鈥淚t definitely made for a pretty horrible year and a half,鈥� Smith said about the impact of a policy he called 鈥渂oth stupid and shortsighted.鈥� In the end, he said, 鈥淯Mass never got its money, and I had to repeat a year of college because I was broke.鈥�

Stories like this are emerging nationwide in response to under which students are prevented from obtaining their credits and degrees because they owe even small amounts of money to the universities and colleges they attended.

Critics call it 鈥渢ranscript ransom.鈥�

Nearly all higher education institutions withhold transcripts from students who have even the smallest of balances, according to the higher education consulting firm Ithaka S+R, which has estimated that about 6.6 million Americans are blocked from obtaining their transcripts or degrees because of unpaid bills.

But some institutions are changing this policy as they recognize the huge impact 鈥� and very bad optics 鈥� of withholding transcripts, a practice that almost exclusively affects low-income students. Anger over this has only grown at a time when many families are suffering through the financial fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the most significant development, Southern New Hampshire University has now stopped blocking transcripts; it says it is has begun releasing these records to the 2,257 students from whom they were withheld over the last year alone because of unpaid balances that average $728.

SNHU has an enrollment of around 150,000, most of it online, a spokeswoman said, which makes it one of the nation鈥檚 largest single nonprofit providers of higher education.

The university doesn鈥檛 know how many students in all have been blocked from obtaining their transcripts over the years, though the registrar, Deanna Bechard, said there are four file cabinets in her office filled with degrees awaiting payment. Under the change in policy, all will now be sent out as soon as graduates鈥� addresses can be found.

Since the start of the pandemic, 鈥渨e were getting more and more concerns from students because they owed money, and how can they pay us if they can鈥檛 get a job,鈥� said Bechard. 鈥淎s we thought about the student experience, we were thinking, these poor students went through four years of their education, and now they can鈥檛 get their diploma because they have a balance?鈥�

As for whether withholding transcripts encouraged people to pay their debts, Bechard said, 鈥淚t was marginally successful and 鈥榤arginally鈥� is probably a strong word. The only thing it really did was prompt a conversation between the student and our accounts receivable department. It didn鈥檛 make them write a check.鈥�

Philander Smith College in Arkansas announced during commencement ceremonies that it would forgive all outstanding balances for the classes of 2020 and 2021 鈥� which came to about $80,000 鈥� avoiding students鈥� degrees from being blocked.

鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a balance, know that your balance is no more,鈥� . He said the gesture was 鈥渋n the spirit of doing all the good we can.鈥�

In Massachusetts, where transcript withholding has come under particular scrutiny, the chairman of the Board of Higher Education is publicly questioning the policy, and the board has ordered state colleges and universities to report back about how many students are affected. Data previously obtained from the institutions by The Hechinger Report and GBH News shows .

鈥淪ome of these students are in difficult personal situations,鈥� the chairman, Chris Gabrieli, said. The fact that so few of these balances have been paid off 鈥渄oes not inspire one that the hold process is a powerful tool. I think it鈥檚 the other way around,鈥� since blocking transcripts often prevents would-be graduates from transferring, going on to graduate school or getting the jobs they need to pay their debts. 鈥淪tudents should be able to have their transcripts they need to advance their agenda.鈥�

Gabrieli, who is also a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, wondered aloud why entire transcripts are being withheld if students owe money only for a single course or a semester, or for library fines or parking tickets.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an odd thing to say their fully paid-for past semesters aren鈥檛 theirs,鈥� he said.

One Massachusetts school, Bunker Hill Community College, dropped its transcript withholding policy in response to the reporting by Hechinger and GBH. Another, the University of Massachusetts Boston, said during the investigation that it held transcripts for overdue balances in any amount; afterward, however, , and it would withhold transcripts only for unpaid bills of $1,000 or more.

A measure working its way through the Massachusetts legislature if they owe money to a public university or college. California last year became the first state in which public and private higher educational institutions were of students who have unpaid debts. A new Washington State law requires that students who owe money be allowed to get their transcripts in order to apply for jobs. And a coalition of advocacy groups in New York is pushing for legislation there like California鈥檚.

One Michigan resident was inspired by this burst of attention to resume his fight with his former university over a debt it said he owed for a course he never took.

Desmond Wright-Glenn registered for the course at Wayne State University in 2016 but then learned that, after fees he hadn鈥檛 known about were added, his scholarship wouldn鈥檛 cover the full cost. Wright-Glenn concedes that he never canceled his registration, but also says he never logged into or attended the course. Still, he was charged for it in full, and when he couldn鈥檛 pay, his transcript listing all the other classes he鈥檇 completed was withheld.

鈥淥ther than that transcript, I had no way of substantiating that [education] other than my word,鈥� said Wright-Glenn, who had hoped to go to graduate school. 鈥淚t shut me down. I at that point was living paycheck to paycheck and didn鈥檛 have $1,400 to give them鈥� 鈥� the amount the university said he owed.

His career plateaued, he said; even to get promoted at the long-term care company where he worked, he needed to provide his transcript.

Seeing news coverage of other students trapped in the same situation, Wright-Glenn, now 36, sent emails about his case in late March and early April to every member of Wayne State鈥檚 board of governors, his legislators and the governor of Michigan. A few days later, he got an email from the university bursar鈥檚 office telling him that his bill had been rescinded and his transcript would be released to him.

鈥淚鈥檓 not sure whose ear I got in,鈥� Wright-Glenn said. 鈥淚 think it wasn鈥檛 a good look. Maybe someone said, 鈥楧id this seriously happen, and are we seriously charging someone for nothing?鈥� 鈥�

Although its administrative procedures manual , a spokesman for the university said exceptions 鈥渁re sometimes made on a case-by-case basis.鈥� He said transcripts are released upon request to prospective employers even if there is a hold on a student鈥檚 account.

Now, in addition to finally applying to graduate school, Wright-Glenn is considering starting an advocacy organization for other students who can鈥檛 get their transcripts. He鈥檚 already toying with a name: Free the Grades.

鈥淚 feel like I won, but then there are 6.6 million other people out there who haven鈥檛 won, who don鈥檛 have my tenacity,鈥� he said.

Other students have stepped forward with similar accounts. One who was studying toward a degree to become a special education teacher had her transcript blocked when her financial aid ran out and she couldn鈥檛 pay for a summer course she鈥檇 taken.

鈥淢y life has been at a standstill for years,鈥� she said. Meanwhile, 鈥淚鈥檓 still paying student loans for a degree I鈥檓 not allowed to have.鈥�

That鈥檚 a story Viv茅 Griffith hears often as director of outreach and engagement for the Clemente Course in the Humanities, which offers free classes nationwide to low-income adults to encourage them to go, or go back, to college. Many are prevented from doing so because they have unpaid bills and can鈥檛 obtain the transcripts listing the credits they鈥檝e already earned.

鈥淭hese are people who are 35 or 45 and they went to college when they were 18,鈥� but never finished, Griffith said. 鈥淭hey leave us, and they鈥檝e got confidence and skills about continuing on in school, and then they hit a complete dead end.鈥�

In many cases, students want to pay their debts but can鈥檛. The money they owe started to pile up during a financial emergency or because of unanticipated expenses.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to recognize that there鈥檚 a difference between willingly and knowingly accruing debt versus something happening,鈥� Griffith said. Besides, she said, 鈥減eople are much more likely to get this debt paid back if they can get degrees and make more money.鈥�

Bechard, at SNHU, pointed out that 鈥渆ven reversing this policy is not wiping the balance these students owe. It鈥檚 giving them an opportunity to get a job to pay the bill.鈥�

Smith, now 49 and a lawyer in California, still reflects on his experience with UMass.

鈥淚 recognize I鈥檓 a lot luckier鈥� than many others who have been through the same experience, he said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have to drop out of school. I didn鈥檛 have to take a hiatus. I was able to finish and get a degree. But I basically had to repeat my sophomore year of college because of this.鈥�

Universities鈥� blocking of transcripts appears financially self-defeating and sometimes reads like bureaucratic parody.

Thomas Tarowsky went back to the campus of his alma mater, West Virginia University, for a meeting in 2014 and got a $20 parking ticket. Soon after that he received 鈥渁 rather terse and pedantic letter鈥� from the university telling him his academic transcript would be withheld until he paid the fine.

Tarowsky was 65 at the time and a retired college dean.

A WVU spokeswoman said it 鈥渧alue[s] each member of our university family鈥� and invited Tarowsky to get in touch about his case.

For his part, Tarowsky said that not only has the ticket remained unpaid, 鈥渂ut I have not and will not contribute to the alumni association.鈥�

This story about was produced by , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, in collaboration with GBH News. Additional reporting by Kirk Carapezza. It is published here in partnership with . Sign up for our .