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Latest Higher Education News
Colleges merge or close — 2025 saw 15 campus shutdowns and a wave of consolidations
Higher education’s financial strain persisted through 2025 as at least 15 college campuses closed and a dozen institutions pursued mergers, consolidations, or acquisitions to stabilize operations....
NIH reconsiders grants it shelved — agency agrees in court to revisit denied applications
The National Institutes of Health agreed in court filings to reevaluate hundreds of grant applications it previously shelved or denied, reversing a pattern of funding rejections tied to political...
Student‑aid overhaul: loan access tightened and repayment rules rewritten — short‑term grants expand
Federal changes set to take effect in mid‑2026 will reshape student borrowing, repayment options, and grant availability. The One Big Beautiful Bill mandates tighter access to certain federal...
Food insecurity spikes on campus — two in five students lack reliable access to food
A growing share of college students are reporting food insecurity, with recent campus surveys showing roughly 40% of students facing insufficient access to food. Universities are expanding food...
Tenure and free speech collide — donor backing and discipline rulings feed governance fights
High‑profile faculty disputes intensified as Harvard Business School ally Bill Ackman publicly backed Francesca Gino’s legal fight after Harvard stripped her of tenure, and another university...
Darden names interim dean who won’t seek permanent post — UVA launches national search
The University of Virginia appointed Michael Lenox as interim dean of the Darden School of Business; Lenox explicitly stated he does not intend to be the permanent dean. The move buys time for a...
Campus AI flunks on bad data — colleges urged to fix governance before scaling tools
Higher education institutions deploying artificial intelligence are confronting a common barrier: poor data quality and weak governance. Experts warn that AI projects in colleges and universities...
Colleges pivot to careers — co‑ops, microcredentials and employer ties top 2026 bets
Top colleges are intensifying career‑focused programming—co‑ops, internships, employer partnerships and skills training—as graduates face a tighter market. Forbes’ list of career‑launching...
Northwestern deal: federal funding restored but compliance terms tighten
Northwestern University struck an agreement with the Trump administration to restore nearly $800 million in frozen federal research funding after the Education and Justice Departments accused the...
Academic freedom clash: universities discipline faculty as donors and allies push back
Two high‑profile faculty governance fights escalated this week as campus disciplinary moves and donor interventions converged. One university concluded that a professor’s social‑media post —...
Darden interim leadership: school names caretaker dean who won’t seek permanent post
The University of Virginia appointed Michael Lenox as interim dean of the Darden School of Business, and Lenox made clear he will not pursue the permanent deanship. The move follows Scott...
Sector consolidation: campus closures and mergers reshape the higher‑education map
The higher‑education sector continued to consolidate in 2025 with at least 15 campus closures and a wave of mergers and acquisitions aimed at stabilizing enrollment and finances. Small private...
NIH reverses course: agency agrees to review grants it previously shelved
The National Institutes of Health agreed in court filings to reexamine hundreds of grant applications that it had previously shelved or denied under the prior administration. The reversal follows...
Student‑loan overhaul: borrowing access narrows while repayment rules shift
Federal financial‑aid rules set to take effect in July will curb access to billions in student loans, retool repayment pathways, and expand grant funding for short‑term career training. Education...
Student basic needs: food insecurity spikes on campuses
Nearly two in five college students now report experiencing food insecurity, and campus food pantries are seeing sharp increases in demand. Administrators and student‑affairs teams report that...
Career pipelines: colleges and employers tighten ties to convert degrees into jobs
Colleges are embedding workplace experiences into curricula as employers sharpen hiring criteria for new graduates. Universities such as Northeastern and Carnegie Mellon emphasize co‑ops,...
AI and data in higher ed: bad data, inflated expectations and strategic choices
Institutions deploying AI are confronting a dirty secret: weak data governance undermines model performance and adoption. Higher‑education IT leaders and consultants warn that rolling out AI tools...
Outlooks for 2026: five higher‑ed forecasts leaders should expect
Experts offered five predictions for higher education in 2026 that include deeper state and federal investment in short‑term credentials, expanded employer‑institution partnerships, and continued...
Northwestern deal restores $800M — university accepts federal conditions on international students
Northwestern University struck a deal with the Trump administration to restore nearly $800 million in frozen federal research funding after agreeing to a set of unprecedented conditions. The...
University finds professor's 'threatening' post was satire — campus labels action 'disruption'
A university concluded that a professor’s online post, framed by critics as threatening toward Zionists, amounted to 'disruption' rather than punishable misconduct, renewing debate over academic...