Photo: Terrell Clark

Graduate programs have become a lucrative source of revenue for many universities. To cash in, private, nonprofit, bachelor’s degree-granting universities and colleges, in particular, vastly expanded their graduate offerings, listing more than three times as many by 2021 as they had in 2005.

That may change, as interest among U.S. students seems to be softening.

The tumultuous rollout of the new federal financial aid form is causing many colleges and universities to head into the summer with trepidation about next fall’s enrollment. 

Some are still waiting for admitted students to commit to their institutions, being patient as families weigh financial aid offers that continue to roll in. Others fear students who have paid deposits may be lured away by a late aid offer from another college. And many worry that the most vulnerable students, frustrated by the aid process, might not show up on any campus this fall.

Too many doctors fail to address the non-medical social conditions that often determine the health outcomes of patients.

In response, a growing number of medical schools are trying to change that trajectory and train a new generation of doctors who advocate for equitable health policies.