An ambitious "college completion" figure of 55% of young people (by 2025) is to be proposed to US Congress tomorrow, on the presentation of the College Completion report. With 40.4% of 25- to 34-year-olds currently holding an associate degree or higher, a 10-step programme has been put into place to help the population achieve this goal. This is because of fears that the young US generation could be the first in the modern era that is less well-educated than their parents, and that the US is "going from leading to lagging" in world rankings of percentage of population that holds a higher education qualification.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the world, Universities Australia has spoken out against proposals by the Federal Opposition to cut immigration numbers. Since higher education is Australia's third biggest export, is valued at AUS$18bn and since 20% of students in Australian universities are from overseas, this proposal would have a "drastic impact". Besides, Universities Australia points out that since most international students return home on finishing their studies, the proposal is flawed in terms of limiting migration.