Dawn Rhodes

At Perspectives Math and Science Academy in Chicago, Nyisha Teedom and her high school senior son, Nathaniel Reed, fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid during an after-school session on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

2020 FAFSA questions: Do I need to register for the draft?

October 3, 2019 at 9:40 p.m.

The 2020 Free Application for Federal Student Aid is available now. The FAFSA is your first step toward pursuing federal aid programs such as Pell grants, work-study and student loans....

Roosevelt University's 32-story South Loop tower.

Roosevelt University seeks to acquire Robert Morris University

October 2, 2019 at 8:58 p.m.

Roosevelt University plans to acquire Robert Morris University, school officials announced Wednesday. Roosevelt has submitted the acquisition request to the Higher Learning Commission, an institution that accredits and provides oversight...

Northwestern University, shown in 2016, received a donation of $50 million to support financial aid.

Northwestern collects largest gift for financial aid: $50 million

September 17, 2019 at 9:50 p.m.

A Northwestern University trustee and his wife are giving $50 million to support student financial aid, the largest gift in school history specifically for that purpose. Jeff and Laurie Ubben...

An inflatable SIUE Cougars mascot is posted outside Bluff Hall on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus, June 21, 2018.

Illinois college enrollment numbers are out. Two schools broke their all-time records this year — again.

September 13, 2019 at 7:45 p.m.

College enrollment has dropped for years in Illinois, from a high of more than 930,000 students in 2010 to just under 768,000 in 2017, the most recent year for which...

Ex-University of Illinois professor sued for sexual assault, harassment of students

September 11, 2019 at 11:19 p.m.

Two former University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students and a Connecticut professor are suing an ex-U. of I. professor, accusing him of sexually assaulting one student and harassing others over...

Grace Coppinger, a high school senior from Beaufort, Missouri, sits on a bluff overlooking the Bourbeuse River in a park in Union, Missouri, on July 31, 2019. Coppinger was among a group of rural students from around the country who visited the University of Chicago this summer for a three-week program where they took classes on campus, explored the city and worked with faculty and staff on the college application process.

Illinois colleges ramp up pursuit of rural students: ‘Colleges need to understand more about rural areas — they are kind of in a bubble.’

September 15, 2019 at 11:43 p.m.

Until recently, high school senior Anna Girten had considered only the schools typically sought out by students in her town of about 6,600 near the Iowa border, such as University...

Family of slain Chinese scholar gives $30K to support U. of I. international students

August 19, 2019 at 8:47 p.m.

Yingying Zhang's family vividly remembers journeying to Champaign in June 2017 after they learned she had been kidnapped from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and killed. "We didn't even know...

Lifeng Ye, mother of slain University of Illinois scholar Yingying Zhang, cries out in grief as her husband, Ronggao Zhang, left, addresses the media after a jury found Brendt Christensen guilty of Yingying's murder on June 24, 2019, in Peoria. Consoling her is son Zhengyang Zhang, right, and family friend Dr. Kim Tee.

Family of Yingying Zhang, slain Chinese scholar at University of Illinois, to launch fund in her honor

August 14, 2019 at 10:30 p.m.

The family of Yingying Zhang is launching an endowment in her name at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, university officials said Wednesday. Zhang's family provided the lead gift to...

Students on Wright Street in front of the University of Illinois library building in Urbana on Aug., 12, 2015. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign first uncovered the practice in 2018 of families in suburban Lake County giving up custody of their teen children to get their children college financial aid for which they would not otherwise qualify. It has since flagged 14 students who indicated they were under a guardianship.

Illinois lawmakers on financial aid loophole: ‘A system that drives families to cheat is a broken system’

August 8, 2019 at 10:56 p.m.

Public university officials are urging against "overcorrecting" as state legislators look into reports that suburban Chicago families exploited a loophole in state law to get their children college financial aid...

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on March 20, 2017.

Illinois lawmakers to investigate wealthy families using loophole in state guardianship law to qualify children for more financial aid

August 2, 2019 at 8:20 p.m.

Illinois lawmakers will investigate a recently exposed trend of wealthy Chicago-area families using a loophole in state guardianship law that qualifies their children for college financial aid primarily intended for...

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