Chris Quintana

My name is Chris Quintana, and I cover higher education for USA TODAY. I write about how students decide if and where to go to college, and how they do, or don't, pay for their education. I also wrote about a seemingly fake university that managed to get accredited in South Dakota. I am especially interested in college admissions, student loan debt, returns on degree investments, and what makes a university education worthwhile.

Before my time at USA TODAY, I worked at the Chronicle of Higher Education where I wrote about colleges' efforts to help their students climb the socio-economic ladder and a fictional student loan expert who talked to real media outlets. I live and work in Washington, D.C. where I spend most of my free time running, caring for a 18-pound mutt, or watching old movies at the local arthouse theater.