HARVARD: Harvard to become new two-year community college in September

The school, which is the oldest university in the United States, is generally considered to have one of the top three undergraduate programs in the nation, and its graduate schools are equally competitive. But over 200 years of providing top-notch education to rich prep school graduates has gotten tedious, Rudenstine said. "We really felt that we had completely mastered the whole university concept," he said. "The small, two-year community college format is going to be a new challenge." Starting in September, anyone who lives in Cambridge will be able to attend Harvard College, as it will be known, for a fee of $300 per course. A high school diploma or graduation equivalency certificate will be required for entrance, but no transcript or SAT scores will be needed. After two years at Harvard, students interested in pursuing their education further will need to transfer to a larger, four-year university or college. Most credit from Harvard should be accepted at other universities. Students who were planning to attend Harvard for their junior or senior years will need to transfer now, Rudenstine said. Anyone who has completed their sophomore year at Harvard will be issued a Harvard College certificate of completion at the end of this term. --Mike Madden