Wednesday Linkpile compiles, for your information and delight, links to noteworthy news articles pertaining to all things online and higher-educational.

• Helping our brave warriors. "Campus-Based and Online Education Strive to Meet Veterans’ Needs," reports a Jul 13, 2011 U.S. News and World Report Article. "Today, many schools strive to make it easier for veterans to earn a college degree. For example, these individuals are eligible to take advantage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill. According to its website, this program will pay tuition and fees that are equal to the highest cost of public in-state tuition. Additionally, many institutions have decided to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program. If veterans attend these schools, they may receive additional funding on top of what they would get from the GI Bill. This is useful for those who wish to enroll in private or graduate institutions."
• Rules schmules. House Republicans have leveled their sites on recently passed "gainful employment" regulations aimed at curbing the excesses of private sector colleges and universities. "Rules of Engagement: Pols Push Back Against 'Gainful Employment' Regs." "The Republican attack on the rule comes just weeks after the Department of Education issued a softened revision of the tougher original. Yet opponents claim that these new softened regulations nonetheless single out for-profit colleges unfairly and put an undue burden on them by requiring them to collect data."
• Fenton, Michigan's Tri-County Times advises prospective postsecondary students on "How to combat the cost of rising college tuition." "Some families are trying to limit their student debt by opting for two-year degrees. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the portion of middle-income students that enrolled in four-year colleges has dropped, while their enrollment in two-year colleges has risen, over the last decade."
• Also in the advice-giving spirit, a July 13, 2011 nebusiness.co.uk article counsels higher-ed aspirants on the finer points of "Making the time to learn." "Universities have seen a big change in student needs in recent years, specifically, a greater demand for flexibility, since students need to fit postgraduate studies around work commitments."
• The student-aid situation threatens to worsen. "The End of Subsidized Loans?", asks a July 13, 2011 InsideHigherEd.com piece. "The negotiations between the White House and Congressional Republicans, aimed at reaching an agreement before the U.S. hits its borrowing limit on Aug. 2 and risks default, have looked at entitlements and other federal programs as possible sources of savings. During talks Monday, Rep. Eric Cantor, the Republican majority leader, reportedly proposed making students responsible for paying the interest their loans accrue while they’re enrolled in college, a change that would save the government $40 billion over 10 years."
• A July 12, 2011 GMANEws.tv story brings word of "A college with no books and paper, only iPads." "At the Meridian International (MINT) College in Taguig City, pens, papers and books have been replaced with one device: a tablet computer. Beginning this school year, all freshmen students of MINT College will receive an Apple iPad 2, which they can use for studying, writing notes and sourcing information in and out of the classroom."
• A July 9, 2011 Herald-Mail.com article reports that "Grants and student loans are the trend when paying for college tuitions." "With tuition and mandatory fees, room and board, transportation, books and other expenses, many students find themselves facing hefty price tags."
• Getting the most bang for your tuition buck. "Low-Cost Higher Ed: A Ranking of the Best College Buys." "Thanks to a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Education, we now know the names of the most expensive universities. But what are the cheapest universities? That’s the question a Christian Post article asks this week. According to the article, the college to top the cheapest list is the Universidad Teologica del Caribe in Puerto Rico. Tuition there amounts to an eye-popping $82 per academic year."
• A July 12, 2011 Reuters Wealth blog post bears the headline, "Six-figure student loans? Credit medicine for MDs." "Debt-laden and highly educated, doctors face unique challenges when it’s time to start repaying their loans: they’re often older graduates -- some with dependents -- facing six-figure loans with the prospect of years of reduced income while in residency. And while they excel in book smarts, they often don’t make the grade when it comes to financial prowess, failing to access professional help and repayment resources."
• A July 12, 2011 Columbia Daily Tribune article warns, "Spread of e-learning could get costly." "The law essentially forces schools offering online programs to comply with existing state licensure regulations. One of the problems, observers say, is those regulations vary greatly by state. For instance, some states don’t require colleges to be licensed if they don’t have a physical presence in the state. In some states, including Missouri, that means brick-and-mortar offices, but in other states, having an adjunct professor or a student doing an internship is enough to meet physical presence requirements."
• Legal wrangling. "Law School Accreditation Standards Questioned by U.S. Senator," reports a July 12, 2011 post at The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog. "In a letter sent yesterday, Senator Chuck Grassley posed more than two dozen questions to the ABA inquiring about the rigor of its accreditation standards, including whether it takes student loan default rates into account when evaluating law schools."