Access to college is not a given for everyone. Money and geography can both play a role in locking some people out of the promise of a higher education.

The new year is often a time for reflection and looking back. But on the latest episode of On Campus Radio, we'll be looking forward at what issues the world of higher education is facing.

Mental health issues have reached crisis levels among college students.

Earlier this month, in a case that drew national attention, a federal judge ruled that Harvard does not discriminate against Asian-Americans.

It's fall already, and that means colleges across the country are back in full swing. And, On Campus Radio is back with another episode.

First, we look at one of the biggest misconceptions about college — that "college students" are full-time, four-year students at big state or private schools.

In reality, four in 10 students are enrolled part-time, and many are working, commuting and struggling to finish coursework for their degrees.

We examine the struggles of these students and talk to Davis Jenkins from Teachers College at Columbia University about how colleges and states are tying to improve outcomes for part-time students.

Next, we look at restrictive voting laws and how they impact students. We'll talk to Daniel Block, an editor at Washington Monthly, to talk about hurdles students face if they try to vote from where they go to college.

Then, we'll turn our attention to California, where a new bill that aims to allow student athletes to be compensated for their names, images and likenesses is drawing serious heat from the NCAA and has the potential to reshape the college sports landscape. We'll speak to Andrew Zimbalist, an economist at Smith College, about the politics that go into college athletics and why the NCAA holds on so dearly to amateurism.

All that, plus updates on the Varsity Blues case as a federal judge in Boston begins handing down sentences.

It's August and the dog days of summer are coming to a close. And although school is just starting back up, the stories in higher education haven't come to a stop.

First, we'll take a look into student housing, both in Boston and beyond. First, we'll re-visit the On Campus's trip to Barcelona earlier this year to look into how that city is dealing with finding homes for that city's large student population.

Then, we'll take what we learned there and apply it to Boston's own struggle to find affordable housing for undergraduates. We'll talk to Emma Goodwin, a recent grad from Emerson College, who wrote an op-ed in The Boston Globe railing against the housing situation in the city for students and the wide-spread perception that college kids are the problem.

We then hear from Alicia Modestino, an economist at Northeastern University who breaks down what's driving the housing crunch in the city, how college students play into it and potential solutions.

Then, we're going to get out of Massachusetts for higher education stories around the country you may have missed.

We speak to Claire McInerny, the education reporter for KUT, the NPR member station in Austin, Texas. She tells us how a new law in Texas aims to get all graduating seniors to apply for federal or state student aid and what it will take to implement that legislation on a large scale.

Then, we'll go to the only state larger than Texas in landmass, Alaska, where the higher ed community has been on edge after the governor announced large cuts to the budget for the state's university system. We'll talk to Wesley Early, a reporter at Alaska Public Media, about how the situation has evolved and what it could mean for the future of education in the state.

Finally, we'll speak to Michael Roth, the president of Wesleyan University. In his new book, “Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist's Approach To Inclusion, Free Speech And Political Correctness On College Campuses,” Roth tries to make sense of very confusing, polarizing times in American higher education.

The middle of summer is one of the best times of the year for American high school students.

In this month's episode of On Campus Radio, it's a blast from the past as we take a look back at some of our best stories so far.

As the landscape of higher ed changes, schools are doing more to get students ready for the work force through internships, purposeful work program and other initiatives. But will it work?

We’ll explore this, and more, on this month’s episode of On Campus Radio.

It's been a busy month in higher education. And we've got everything you need to catch up on this month's episode of On Campus Radio.

First, we have an update on the ongoing fallout from Operation Varsity Blues, the sweeping investigation into allegations of fraud and bribery in college admissions at colleges across the country. We also discuss Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren's sweeping proposal to cancel student loan debt for millions of Americans, provide free undergraduate tuition and fees at all public colleges and cut off federal funding for for-profit schools.

Then, we'll break down the latest in the fight to keep Hampshire College open with an interview with interim president Ken Rosenthal, about the school's plans to keep running. We'll also talk to Brian Mitchell, the former president of Bucknell University and the author of "How to Run a College."

After that, we visit Nichols College  to take a look at what strategies that small, private college in Worcester County is employing to get ahead of the financial storm so many other schools are in the middle of.