Government

He questions whether higher ed is necessary for everyone, and calls colleges godless, but in the Senate, the candidate had a history of supporting colleges.

So far, the Republican front-runner has said little about colleges. But as governor, he quarreled with the UMass president, and more recently he has praised for-profit colleges.

Republican candidate repeats claim that Obama is "snob" for wanting all Americans to go to college, but in 2006 he seemed to endorse the same idea. And in 2008, he said Satan had his greatest success in academe.

President Obama lays out details for his plan to hold colleges accountable for rising prices, with ramifications beyond the election this fall.

Mitt Romney singled out the university while praising for-profits as cost-effective. Full Sail graduates 78 percent of its students, but is it really the better value Romney suggested?

Romney gets scrutiny for praise of for-profit college led by campaign donor. Biden angers faculty by suggesting their salaries force tuition up. Gingrich attacks fluency in French.

Republican front-runner Newt Gingrich is unique in the field for his academic past -- and for some of the ideas he has put forward.

Student debt has emerged as a major focus of the protests. Some worry that prospective students are hearing the wrong message -- while others see important shifts in the political debate about borrowing.