Kirk Carrapeza

Harvard says Summers will retire from his academic and faculty appointments at the end of the school year and remain on leave until then.

He won't teach or take on any new students to advise.

Harvard senior Jessica Wong says that's welcome news.

Summers is also resigning from his role leading the Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Business and Government.

In a statement, he says his decision to leave was difficult, and he's grateful to the students and colleagues he's worked with.

For NPR News, I'm Kirk Carrapeza in Boston.

Tuition discounting is the practice private colleges have long used to manage revenue, cutting costs for some students while keeping a higher sticker price for others.

Now the Strata Education Foundation reports public universities facing funding caps and enrollment declines are adopting the same approach.

In the past decade, the share of undergrads at public four-year schools receiving aid rose from 49%

to 62%.

Average discount rates also jumped from 24% to 31%.

The result?

Families are left confused and skeptical about the real cost and value of college.

For NPR News, I'm Kirk Carrapeza in Boston.

Hey, good morning, Steve. What exactly are colleges saying? Well, most colleges aren't saying much, but there are some. The ones you mentioned and a handful of schools here in New England, UMass Amherst, MIT, and Wesleyan have all reached out to international students urging them to return to the U.S. before January 20th. Harvard also contacted its international students this week.

Hey, good morning, Steve. What exactly are colleges saying? Well, most colleges aren't saying much, but there are some. The ones you mentioned and a handful of schools here in New England, UMass Amherst, MIT, and Wesleyan have all reached out to international students urging them to return to the U.S. before January 20th. Harvard also contacted its international students this week.

Hey, good morning, Steve. What exactly are colleges saying? Well, most colleges aren't saying much, but there are some. The ones you mentioned and a handful of schools here in New England, UMass Amherst, MIT, and Wesleyan have all reached out to international students urging them to return to the U.S. before January 20th. Harvard also contacted its international students this week.

The college suggested those traveling overseas for the holidays, quote, budget time ahead of Martin Luther King Day, which coincidentally is also Inauguration Day.

The college suggested those traveling overseas for the holidays, quote, budget time ahead of Martin Luther King Day, which coincidentally is also Inauguration Day.

The college suggested those traveling overseas for the holidays, quote, budget time ahead of Martin Luther King Day, which coincidentally is also Inauguration Day.