Later this month, the University of Colorado's Board of Regents will vote on whether to increase tuition for in-state students by nine percent. If passed, tuition would rise by $572 for in-state undergraduates, notes Boulder's Daily Camera---a proposal that comes at a time when students and their parents are looking for ways to keep the cost of higher education down. One idea that has emerged, writes the Colorado Daily, is for CU to offer accelerated, three-year degrees. CU-Boulder spokesman Bronson Hilliard confirms that deans and the provost have discussed the possibility, though no formal recommendation has been made. Meanwhile, changes are coming down the pike in the student loan industry. On Sunday night, Democrats attached a student loan overhaul to health-care reform, eliminating a $60 billion program that provided support for private lenders, replacing it with a government program that lends directly to students (via The Washington Post). Amendments in the House now go to the Senate to end the subsidies that aim to generate billions of dollars in savings and create more funding for needy students who receive Pell grants.