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New Rankings of Best Arab Region Universities Coming Nov. 4

By WTOP Staff

Last year, U.S. News announced that it had created a directory of more than 800 universities across the Arab region. The directory was our first step to study the schools across the region, using publicly available data. Since then, U.S. News has traveled to the region to discuss the ongoing project; we are now pleased to announce that the inaugural 2015 U.S. News Best Arab Region Universities rankings will go live on usnews.com on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

This 1.0 version of the rankings, which will show the universities that are the best in the Arab region overall as well as in key academic subject areas, is the beginning of a long-term project to develop surveys and rankings for the region.

Other global rankings have typically included few higher educational institutions from the Arab region. U.S. News believes that this first Best Arab Region Universities rankings will be the most comprehensive assessment of this type published to date, allowing prospective students and their parents, as well as policymakers and employers in the region, to accurately compare institutions. Such comparisons are not currently possible using standardized educational data.

The 2015 rankings — which are based on data and research metrics provided by Scopus, part of the Elsevier Research Intelligence portfolio — will focus specifically on institutions’ academic research overall and not their separate undergraduate or graduate programs. Arab region universities will be able to benchmark themselves against schools in their own country and region and discover top schools from other countries to collaborate with.

The overall Best Arab Region Universities rankings will be of the top 91 universities in the region, which will include schools located in 16 countries. The methodology and weights developed by U.S. News to calculate the rankings will focus on factors that measure research performance, using a variety of bibliometric indicators such as publications and citations.

In subsequent editions of the rankings, U.S. News plans to include other ranking factors, including separate reputation surveys of Arab region academics and employers and statistical, school-level data collected directly from Arab region universities.

For the 2015 edition, beyond the overall rankings, U.S. News will also publish rankings in 16 subject areas, including key fields such as computer science, engineering, medicine, mathematics and social sciences. These subject-specific rankings — which are not of academic majors, departments or a specific school at a university like a medical school — will be based on academic research performance in those subjects using various bibliometric measures, including publications and citations.

On the U.S. News site, each ranked Arab region university in the overall and subject rankings will have a profile page displaying contact information and detailed ranking indicators. U.S. News will also publish comprehensive methodologies and FAQs that will explain the data, ranking factors, weights and calculations.

More from U.S. News

2015 Best Global Universities Rankings Coming Soon

U.S. News Talks Arab Region University Rankings in Middle East

U.S. News Launches Arab Region University Rankings Project

New Rankings of Best Arab Region Universities Coming Nov. 4 originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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