Academic and industry leaders spoke with conviction and passion at the SXSW EDU conference this week about the ways in which colleges, policymakers, and employers might work together to help more Americans find or advance in viable employment, while also addressing the workforce skills gap. 

But some “bad” policies and attitudes about online learning undermine their efforts to work together, expand access, and deliver outcomes to motivated, capable learners.

Bard College has become the latest institution to end its cooperation with U.S. News & World Report’s undergraduate rankings, saying they are “based on flawed and irrelevant metrics.”

Bard’s rejection represents another domino falling in the boycott against the rankings system. The Rhode Island School of Design and Colorado College also turned away last month. The rankings exodus began, however, with a contingent of law schools in November 2022, followed by medical schools. Most of the colleges exiting the rankings have cited equity concerns.

College tuition is one of the most costly purchases that students and their families will ever make. Unfortunately, there is no way for them to easily compare financial aid packages so they can figure out how much they will pay at different schools.

The Understanding the True Cost of College Act, reintroduced last week, aims to help by providing clear guidance to institutions about the standard terminology they should use in their financial aid communications.