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Johns Hopkins makes attendance cost-free for most families — aid thresholds raised
Johns Hopkins University announced a sweeping financial-aid revision that eliminates tuition, fees and living expenses for Homewood undergraduates from families earning under $100,000; families up...
Small college collapses and program cuts deepen enrollment squeeze
Sterling College in Vermont announced it will close at the end of the spring semester, citing persistent financial and enrollment challenges; the small work-college had only 78 students in fall...
Faculty labor escalates — reinstatements and strike threats spread
Labor actions and arbitration rulings moved to center stage this week. An independent arbitrator ordered Portland State University to reinstate 10 faculty members, finding the university violated...
International enrollments dip — Gies leans on online growth
The University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business reported steep declines in international on-campus master’s enrollments this fall—some programs down 25–50%—largely tied to lower visa...
Texas A&M tightens classroom rules — faculty council says punishment violated norms
Texas A&M System trustees approved a sweeping policy restricting classroom instruction that “advocates” certain race- and gender-related ideologies, and faculty governance bodies immediately...
UC San Diego... remediation crisis — report flags collapse in math readiness
An internal faculty working group at the University of California, San Diego reported a sharp deterioration in incoming students’ math and writing skills, finding that nearly 12% of the fall 2025...
Spanberger wants UVA search paused: governor‑elect questions board’s legitimacy
Virginia governor‑elect Abigail Spanberger asked the University of Virginia Board of Visitors to pause its presidential search until she takes office and appoints new board members, arguing the...
Accreditation gets political: new regional agency courts colleges for recognition
Accreditation—long a technical exercise—has become a political flashpoint after six Southern public university systems formed a new regional accreditor this year, challenging the national...
Legal skirmishes and personnel limbo at Education Dept — grants and rehiring in dispute
A federal judge this week limited remedies in the legal fight over the Trump administration’s cancellation of teacher‑training grants, agreeing she lacks authority to order restoration of millions...
Enrollment cliff arrives: trustees told to plan for sudden revenue shocks
Boardroom briefings and industry reports are urging trustees to prepare for an overdue enrollment cliff as demographic declines and changing student preferences squeeze traditional undergraduate...
Governance and cuts collide: arbitrator orders rehires while program closures advance
Labor rulings and administrative retrenchment collided this week as an arbitrator ordered Portland State University to reinstate 10 laid‑off faculty, finding the university violated its...
Threats to campus leaders rise — personal security now part of presidential posts
University presidents, regents and other senior campus officials are increasingly receiving personal security details as threats and violent incidents around contentious campus protests escalate....
Education Dept proposes expanded IPEDS admissions data — selective colleges in focus
The U.S. Department of Education proposed stepped‑up IPEDS reporting this week that would require many four‑year selective institutions to submit application, admission and enrollment records...
Colleges expand basic‑needs programs as SNAP freeze exposes student vulnerability
Colleges nationwide are ramping up food pantries, emergency aid and on‑campus support after a lapse and subsequent uncertainty in SNAP benefits disrupted students’ access to food earlier this...
Judge Limits Relief in Teacher-Prep Grant Case: Restoration Off the Table
A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that she cannot order the Trump administration to restore millions in teacher-preparation grant awards but said she will hear whether the terminations were...
Education Dept. Proposes Expanded IPEDS Reporting: Admissions Data Under Scrutiny
The U.S. Department of Education proposed new IPEDS rules requiring selective four‑year colleges to submit six years of application and admissions data disaggregated by race and sex, plus...
Accreditation Goes Political — Six Southern Systems Launch New Accreditor
The long-dormant politics of accreditation erupted after six Southern public-university systems formed a new regional accreditor this year, a move tied to a Trump administration executive order...
Enrollment cliff arrives — Trustees and programs scramble as online offsets grow
Trustees and sector leaders are confronting the long-forecast enrollment cliff as demographic declines and shifting student preferences force rapid institutional recalibration. Boards and AGB...
Faculty labor fights shift outcomes — Reinstatements and bargaining momentum
Labor and shared-governance disputes produced immediate institutional reversals and new bargaining momentum across campuses. An independent arbitrator ordered Portland State University to...
Education Department reopens—but staff return and routines remain uncertain
With the 43‑day government shutdown ended, congressional action reversed planned Education Department layoffs and restored funding, yet department staff and policy observers caution that...