A legal docket of higher‑education cases tied to Trump administration policies will shape institutional finances and autonomy this year, from funding freezes to enforcement of new compliance rules. Coverage of five key lawsuits highlights challenges to federal actions on campus governance, diversity programs and grant reallocations. Separately, a study commissioned by research university associations showed universities receive lower effective reimbursement for indirect research costs than private industry, compounding the stress of federal grant cuts. The report underscored $7.06 billion in university losses in fiscal 2024 from unreimbursed research overhead and framed the debate as a policy and litigation issue between government and higher education stakeholders. Colleges face a two‑front legal and fiscal pressure campaign: courtroom battles over federal policy and operational struggles to cover facilities, compliance and overhead tied to research contracts. Institutional counsel, provosts and CFOs will be central actors in the unfolding year.