Tim Rue Vu T. Tran, the financial-aid director at California State University at Los Angeles, says he must "ration" funds to needy students because the university gets a smaller pool of money than wealthier colleges.

FAVORING WEALTHIER STUDENTS?
Three federal student-aid programs allocate their funds to colleges based largely on how long they've been in each program, a practice that critics say hurts students from low-income families who attend non-elite colleges.

'DISGUSTING AND INTEMPERATE'
Two instructors who feel libeled by anonymous postings on a teacher-evaluation Web site have sued the City College of San Francisco and a former student who maintains the site.

LET'S OUTFLANK 'U.S. NEWS'
Because the accreditation process is so secretive, the public turns to a magazine's rankings for information on colleges, writes Milton Greenberg, who offers a self-help alternative. The author is a professor emeritus of government at American University.

AN EXAM FOR ONLINE AP COURSES
High-school officials in California who offered electronic Advanced Placement courses gave them mixed reviews.