By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

EdX, a not-for-profit initiative that offers online classes at no charge, has announced that it will add the first college in India to its consortium.

According to a statement released by edX, The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay will work with edX, a platform launched by Harvard and MIT in 2012, to fill a specific need in India: training engineering teachers.

There are approximately 5,000 engineering colleges in India, with more than 1.25 million students enrolled at the colleges, the statement said. By joining edX, IIT Bombay aims to “increase the number of qualified and experienced engineering educators in India and beyond.”

EdX offers massive open online courses, or MOOCs, which are free online classes that enroll thousands of students all around the world. EdX’s students reside in 192 countries, with India attracting the most students after the United States.

According to the statement, the addition of IIT Bombay will bring the total number of schools participating in edX to 28. In May, edX announced that 15 colleges and universities, including many from Asia and Europe, were joining the initiative.

"At edX, our global community continues to grow at the student and institutional levels," Anant Agarwal, president of edX, said in the statement. "India is an important market for us and is home to the largest population of edX learners outside of the United States. We are pleased that IIT Bombay has joined our distinguished group of xConsortium members, which increases global access to a world-class education and adds a rich variety of new courses to edX's offerings."

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

After two decades of sifting through thousands of resumes and hiring new people, Mark O'Toole, from HB Agency, created a slide show to explain why new college graduates were not offered jobs.

Those who did not get the job were sometimes just not the right fit. Other times, they were trumped by a more impressive candidate or victim to some other random event mostly out of their control.

Too many had the background to make the cut or at least garner a second interview. But disastrous interviewing skills brought you down.

If you're a recent graduate or about to graduate, hopefully these tips will help you land that dream job. You might also want to check out our list of what college majors have the highest unemployment rates.

The following is a release from the Middlesex District Attorney. For full coverage of today's developments, including federal charges against Tsarnaev, go to boston.com.

WOBURN – Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on more than a dozen criminal charges including murder for the shooting death of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced today.

Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, was indicted on charges of murder, attempted armed robbery, armed assault with intent to murder (four counts), assault with a dangerous weapon (four counts), kidnapping, armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a large capacity feeding device, and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number.

“Officer Collier was a dedicated officer who was beloved by the MIT community and we are all deeply affected by his loss,” District Attorney Ryan said. “Today’s indictment is about recognizing the sacrifice of Officer Collier and working toward providing some solace for his family. It is also about recognizing the important work of the police in Middlesex County. They put themselves in harms way every day and this office will fully prosecute anyone who kills or attempts to kill a police officer in this county. I would like to commend the work of the Massachusetts State Police, MIT Police, Cambridge Police, Watertown Police, and MBTA Transit Police and the many other agencies that have collaborated with our office on this investigation. I’d also like to recognize our US Attorney and federal partners, with whom we will work closely as we prosecute this defendant for the violent, repulsive actions that have left a hole in our hearts and gaping wounds in our communities.”

Collier, 27, had been an MIT police officer since January 2012 and prior to that he was a civilian employee with the Somerville Police Department. Gov. Deval Patrick has signed legislation authorizing the City of Somerville to posthumously appoint Collier to the Somerville Police Department, which he was scheduled to join this summer.

The indictment stems from incidents that occurred in Middlesex County on April 18 and 19, 2013.

At approximately 10:20 p.m. on April 18, police received reports of shots fired on the MIT campus. At 10:30 p.m., officers discovered Collier shot in his vehicle in the area of Vassar and Main streets. According to authorities, the officer had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital and pronounced deceased.

Authorities launched an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the shooting.

The investigation determined that two males were allegedly involved in this shooting, Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

After unsuccessfully attempting to steal the officers’ weapon, the two suspects fled the scene and then carjacked a vehicle in Boston. With the vehicle’s owner hostage in the vehicle, the two suspects drove to various locations, including an ATM in Watertown. It is alleged that the defendant and his brother stole the victim’s ATM card and withdrew money from an ATM. The suspects then stopped in Cambridge for gas and the victim fled.

The defendant and his brother drove to Watertown, where police, using GPS, located the vehicle. A Watertown police officer spotted the vehicle in the area of Dexter and Laurel Streets in Watertown. As additional police arrived, it is alleged that the suspects began shooting at police, leading to an exchange of gunfire with police. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot and also hit by a vehicle driven by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He was transported to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev fled the scene and was arrested by the FBI in Watertown following an extensive search.

An MBTA Transit Police officer was seriously injured during the shootout. That aspect of the case, including the circumstances surrounding the shooting in Watertown, remains under investigation.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The investigation into the incidents that occurred in Middlesex County is a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies including the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, the Massachusetts State Police, Cambridge Police, MIT Police, Watertown Police, Boston Police, MBTA Transit Police, the State Police Crime Lab, the FBI, and the US Attorney’s Office in Boston.

The prosecutor assigned to the case is Assistant District Attorney Adrienne Lynch, Chief of Homicide. The victim witness advocate is Helena Clarke.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

The incoming classes at Harvard College and MIT seem to be waging a series of online pranks against one another.

First reported by The Huffington Post on Tuesday, these jokes included MIT students editing a website devoted to the Harvard class of 2017, and replacing students’ pictures with an image of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. A Reddit user posted a screengrab of the hack.

Another screenshot showed that MIT students also changed each Harvard students’ bios to phrases like, “I wish I had as much swag as the MIT kids.”

In response, the incoming Harvard students created a Google Doc announcing a “Declaration of War!”

"Whereas the Immature Prefrosh of MIT has committed unprovoked acts of war against the Harvard 2017 Website and the Members of the Harvard Class of 2017:

Therefore be it Resolved by that the state of war between the Harvard Class of 2017 and the Immature Prefrosh of MIT which has thus been thrust upon the Harvard class of 2017 is hereby formally declared; and the Harvard Class of 2017 is hereby ComMITted to utilize the entire strengths of its class to carry on war against the MIT Prefrosh."

They later created a “Terms of Surrender” Google Doc, in which the incoming Harvard students demanded that the MIT class of 2017 apologize, and comply to several terms. For example, Article V states that the “Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Class of 2017 provides Harvard University, Class of 2017 with a tribute of several varieties of cookies and cheesecake in sweet abundance.”

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

MIT will pay an extra $125 per month to its employees who extend health care benefits to their same-sex spouses, to help offset the federal taxes that same-sex couples are required to pay under federal law, university officials announced.

Although same-sex marriage has been legal in Massachusetts for nine years, the federal government imposes a tax on employees who extend health care coverage to a same-sex spouse.

MIT officials said in a statement that the policy will be retroactive to January 1 of this year. The university will give these employees a supplemental payment of $125 a month, or $1,500 per year. The policy does not cover unmarried domestic partners.

According to the statement, MIT’s Employee Benefits Oversight Committee recommended the policy, which Provost Chris Kaiser and Executive Vice President and Treasurer Israel Ruiz approved in February.

In April, Harvard University adopted the same policy for its employees. At the time of the policy change, Harvard Divinity School employee and past co-chair of the Harvard LGBT Faculty and Staff Committee Michael Goetz said in a statement that “this policy will help Harvard attract the best talent.”

“But what it comes down to for me is, it’s the right and just thing to do,” he added. “Harvard’s seen as a leader in the higher-education world, and it’s a place whose leaders are concerned with doing the right thing.”

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology retained the highest amount of accepted students in the university's history, with a yield of 73 percent, according to an MIT official.

Dean of Admissions Stu Schmill said that 1,125 of 1,548 accepted students confirmed that they will be attending MIT next year. In 2012, 70 percent of accepted applicants chose to attend MIT, and in 2011, the yield rate was at 65 percent.

Schmill said the admissions office had discussed the possibility of fewer students enrolling after the Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent death of MIT Officer Sean Collier. But Schmill said he thinks potential students recognized that Cambridge is a safe place, and that this was an isolated incident.

"I don't think there were families that saw what happened and thought of MIT as less safe than any other place," he said.

With the yield rate at an all-time high, no students will be admitted from off the wait list for the second consecutive year, Schmill said.

"We are pleased that so many students chose to enroll, but we were hoping to take some students off the wait list and we just couldn't do it," he said.

This year also marked a record low acceptance rate for MIT. The university accepted a total of 8.2 percent of the 18,989 candidates who applied.

At Harvard, 82 percent of admitted students plan to enroll, according to a statement from school officials. This year's yield rate is the highest yield since the 1960s.

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Following a year marked by tragedy, speakers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology commencement ceremony reflected on community members they had lost, while capturing the spirit of the graduating class.

As he delivered the invocation, Chaplain Robert Randolph recalled numerous deaths at MIT this year, including the death of a visiting scientist, death of a graduate student, and the loss of MIT Officer Sean Collier, allegedly killed by the two Marathon bombing suspects.

Randolph said that the MIT campus, previously regarded as a place outside of the real world, is now very much a part of it.

“We have felt that distance vanish,” Randolph said. “This is the real world…there are no safe places.”

In his speech to the class, President L. Rafael Reif spoke of the Marathon bombings, and how he received letters from strangers who had fled the scene and found shelter in MIT fraternities and sororities. They simply wanted to say, thank you.

“A few days later, the tragedy of the Marathon bombings arrived at our own campus,” Reif said. “And the whole world saw what I saw: the extraordinary outpouring of respect and gratitude for our beloved MIT Police. And the loving sympathy that flowed from the heart of this family to the family of Officer Sean Collier. I’ve never felt so proud to be part of MIT.”

At a dreary ceremony, the rain poured down onto the crowd of approximately 13,000 people, many of whom were sporting ponchos handed out at the entrances. School officials were also distributed aluminum blankets, with the elderly guests being the first priority.

Security was tight. Guests were not permitted to bring in food or drink, and all bags and jackets were thoroughly searched. Security guards required that those with a computer turn it on, to demonstrate its functionality.

At the start of the commencement, a brass band played as the graduates and other honorary guests filed in. Guests spoke in numerous languages. One graduate stood on top of his chair, furiously waving at his family members.

Reif also urged the class of 2013 to “change the source code” of society.

“Rewire the circuits. Rearrange the molecules. Reformulate the equation. In short, I want you to hack the world, until you make the world a little more MIT,” he said. “More daring and more passionate. More rigorous, inventive, and ambitious. More humble, more respectful, more generous, and more kind.”

Drew Houston, an MIT alumnus and the CEO of Dropbox, told the graduates to find a line of work that they are obsessed with.

“So I was going to say work on what you love, but that’s not helpful. It’s so easy to convince yourself that you love what you do,” Houston said. “When I think about it, the happiest and most successful people I know don’t just love what they do, they’re obsessed.”

He called building Dropbox the most “exciting, interesting, and fulfilling experiences of my life.” But Houston also said that starting a company has also “ been the most painful, humiliating, and frustrating experience too, and I can’t even count the number of things that have gone wrong.”

“Fortunately, it doesn’t matter,” Houston said. “No one has a 5.0 in real life.”

Houston said that Bill Gates’s first company made software for traffic lights. And Steve Jobs’ first company made plastic whistles that enabled the user to make free phone calls.

“Neither were too successful, but it’s hard to imagine they were too upset about it.” Houston said. “That’s my favorite thing that changes today. From now on, failure doesn’t matter: you only have to be right once.”

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Following a semester filled with security incidents, MIT has announced that it will step up safety measures at graduation ceremonies Friday.

On Friday, more than 13,000 guests are anticipated to attend MIT’s commencement excersizes, according to a statement released by the university. MIT alumnus Drew Houston, the CEO and co-founder of Dropbox, will deliver the address.

“Commencement attendees should expect increased security measures for events on both Thursday and Friday,” the statement said.

MIT officials said in the statement that metal detectors will be at the commencement entrance. A number of items including backpacks, large bags, large objects, wrapped gifts, pocket knives, and all bottles will be prohibited. Security officials will be searching purses and diaper bags.

The statement also said that guests with electronic devices will be asked to turn them on “to demonstrate their use.” Attendees are also advised to bring a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, state ID card, or passport.

The school’s announcement follows a semester of cybersecurity breaches, a hoax report of a gunman on campus, and the murder of an MIT police officer while he was on duty.

In the weeks after Internet activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide, the MIT Campus network was hacked at least three times, and Swartz was mentioned by name in a minimum of two of the attacks.

Swartz killed himself in January, following a two-year legal battle in which he faced a number of charges for hacking into the JSTOR archive system on the MIT network. He allegedly downloaded more than 4 million articles, some of which were behind a paywall. A number of Swartz’s supporters have blamed his death on MIT and the legal system.

In late February, the Globe reported that an unidentified caller falsely reported that a gunman was on the MIT campus. Several days after the hoax, an MIT official confirmed that the caller said the gunman was seeking revenge for Swartz’s suicide, and that the gunman planned to shoot the school’s president.

Then in a bizarre and tragic twist of events, the pair of brothers accused of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings engaged in gunfire with police officials on MIT’s campus in April. While sitting in his cruiser, MIT Police officer Sean Collier, 26, was shot and killed.

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

Local colleges and universities are hiking tuition costs by an average of 3 to 4 percent for next year, with some school officials calling the increases among the lowest in recent history.

Suffolk University has announced it will increase undergraduate tuition prices by 3 percent for next year, making it the smallest increase in 36 years.

The president of Suffolk University, James McCarthy, said in a statement that rates for the 2013 to 2014 school year will be $31,592, up $920 from this year.

"The undergraduate increase is built upon a base Suffolk University tuition that remains among the lowest of comparable New England institutions," McCarthy said in the statement.

At MIT, tuition and fees will cost $43,498, compared to $42,050 for this year, for a 3.4 percent increase. Officials called the hike among the lowest in recent decades.

And at Boston University, prices are expected to rise 3.7 next year to $43,970. In a statement, university officials called the new tuition price “one of the lowest rates of increase among BU’s peer universities.”

Among other local schools:

- Emerson College will raise its tuition by 4.5 percent, from $33,568 this year to $35,072 next year.

- Boston College plans to hike prices by 4 percent, from $43,140 to $44,870.

- Northeastern University’s rates will break the $40K mark -- from $39,320 last year to $40,780 next year.

But the University of Massachusetts system is pushing for a major increase in funding from the state -- an additional $39 million -- which could keep tuition rates at a standstill.

The Globe reported in late May that elected student trustees from the University of Massachusetts system are calling on Senate officials to approve a $478 million funding proposal from Governor Deval Patrick. If the proposal passes, UMass officials have said that the university system could freeze tuition and fees for next year.

Some schools are saying that the new rates will be offset by financial aid budgets that are at a “historic high.”

MIT officials said that the undergraduate financial aid budget has risen to a record $97.6 million.

“MIT has more than tripled its spending on financial aid since 2000 - a rate of growth that far exceeds tuition and fee increases during that same period - as part of the Institute’s ongoing efforts to shield students and families from the impact of price increases,” the university said in the statement.

And Northeastern University has announced that it will invest the largest amount of financial aid in the school’s 115-year history, providing a total of $204 million in grant aid for next year.

But other schools will be giving out financial aid to less students. For example at Boston University, approximately 53 percent of students will receive grant aid, which is down from 57 percent for this past year.

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.

By Katherine Landergan, Town Correspondent

The MIT Cycling Club has earned a national championship title for the second consecutive year, the university announced Thursday in a statement.

Earlier this month, the team won first place in the Division II Collegiate Road National Championships, according to the university’s statement. This was the second year in a row that MIT took home the title.

The statement said that MIT alumna and former olympic cyclist Nicole Freedman worked as the team coach, and traveled with the cyclists to nationals for the first time this year. This past September, the club won the USA Cycling Collegiate Track National Championships, The Tech reported.

Shaena Berlin, a captain for the club, said that although her team was favored to win, they did not take the title for granted.

“We were the favorites for this year, but you need everyone to do their best and you can’t just assume anything,” Berlin said today.

Berlin, a senior at MIT, said there are approximately 100 undergraduates and graduates on the team, and they train year round.

During the fall semester the club members ride for 15 to 20 hours a week at a lower intensity, she said. Then in the spring semester they train at a higher intensity, for about 10 to 15 hours per week. When in training, Berlin said she needs to eat about 4,000 calories a day.

The sport can be risky, particularly when riding in the city, Berlin said.

“It is dangerous,” she said. “We try really hard to get our riders to know all of the rules of the road.”

The team has had a few accidents this year, which resulted in bad scrapes and hand injuries, she said. The members bike in neighboring communities such as Concord and Lexington as frequently as possible.

Berlin also said that despite her team’s success, competitors will occasionally underestimate them.

“You don’t go to MIT to play sports, and people know that,” she said. But MIT students, she said, tend to have qualities that translate well into sports.

“We work hard, are perseverant, and determined,” Berlin said. “And that makes for a pretty good athlete.”

Katherine Landergan can be reached at klandergan@globe.com. For campus news updates, follow her on Twitter @klandergan.

Looking for more coverage of area colleges and universities? Go to our Your Campus pages.