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Colleges push back on Grad PLUS changes — plea to preserve grad student lending
Hundreds of colleges, faculty and professional organizations submitted public comments urging the Education Department to modify or reverse proposed regulations that would sharply limit federal...
Education Department unraveling: 100+ programs moved as agency functions are reassigned
The Education Department has published multiple interagency agreements to transfer day‑to‑day management of more than 100 programs to other agencies, officials confirmed this week. Programs...
UNT cuts 70+ programs — Deep budget gap forces academic pruning
The University of North Texas announced it will eliminate or merge more than 70 academic programs to close a $45 million budget shortfall. Leadership said decisions were based on enrollment,...
ED to ease merger rules — consolidation gains traction as campuses seek lifelines
The Education Department signaled plans to streamline merger pathways this week, proposing regulatory changes designed to reduce barriers and speed approvals for financial or strategic...
Business schools at a crossroads: AACSB warns on AI and enrollment; rankings model questioned
AACSB CEO Lily Bi said accreditation must evolve as artificial intelligence, demographic declines and shifting employer demands reshape business education. Bi told Poets&Quants the accreditor is...
University autonomy tumbles: Index records sharp decline in institutional independence
A new index reported an 'unusually steep' decline in U.S. university autonomy since 2015, dropping the country’s rating to only ‘moderate.’ The Times Higher Education analysis attributes the fall...
Campus trust frays: U. of Kansas straw poll shows no‑confidence claim and administration pushback
A straw poll at the University of Kansas where students and faculty overwhelmingly voted no confidence in campus leadership revealed deep frustration over financial decisions, but university...
Higher‑ed groups press Congress: Urgent plea to plug Pell shortfall
More than 60 higher‑education organizations sent a joint letter to congressional leaders warning of a multi‑billion‑dollar shortfall in Pell Grant funding for fiscal 2026 and beyond and urging...
DOJ sues Harvard: Seeks monitor, grant clawbacks over campus antisemitism
The Justice Department filed suit against Harvard University, accusing university leaders of failing to curb antisemitic conduct during pro‑Palestinian demonstrations and asking a federal court to...
Treasury to collect defaulted loans – Education Dept. begins handing off aid operations
The Education Department and Treasury signed an interagency agreement that transfers responsibility for federal student loans in default—about $180 billion—to the Treasury Department, the first...
Ed programs scatter: 100-plus initiatives move across federal agencies
The Department of Education has begun moving more than 100 programs to other federal agencies under a series of interagency agreements, part of the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle and...
Universities plead: Don’t gut Grad PLUS — sector warns of enrollment collapse
Hundreds of colleges, faculty and graduate programs submitted public comments urging the Education Department not to implement proposed rules that would sharply limit federal Grad PLUS loans for...
States press curricular limits: Colleges scramble to revise race and identity courses
New state laws and legislative mandates are forcing colleges and universities to review and, in some cases, alter curricula that address race, gender and institutional discrimination. University...
Under secretary warns accreditors: Remove DEI standards or risk federal action
The Department of Education’s under secretary sent formal letters to two accreditors ordering them to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion standards he said violate federal civil‑rights law...
'Unusually steep' drop in autonomy: U.S. universities rated only 'moderate' by index
An international index found a sharp decline in U.S. university autonomy—an unusual, steep slide since 2015 that downgraded the country’s assessment to 'moderate.' The report attributes the drop...
Colleges scramble after exposé: Chávez tributes removed, renaming debates spread
Following a New York Times investigation alleging longstanding sexual abuse by labor leader César Chávez, numerous colleges and K‑12 districts moved quickly to remove his name from programs, cover...
When faculty stop showing up: Disengagement reshapes campus life
Reports and essays from campus leaders describe rising faculty disengagement—declining office hours, reduced campus presence and lower committee participation—and its effects on student...
Teachers move beyond AI basics: Training shifts to agentic tools for instruction
K–12 professional development is moving from basic AI uses—lesson templates and administrative automation—to training teachers to build and supervise agentic AI tools that perform complex,...
Education Dept. shifts student loans to Treasury — default crisis in focus
The Education Department announced a phased transfer of operational responsibility for the federal student‑loan portfolio to the U.S. Treasury, beginning with defaulted loans. The agreement...
Colleges plead with ED over Grad PLUS rule change — workforce majors at risk
Nearly 20,000 public comments poured into the Education Department after proposed regulations would sharply limit federal Grad PLUS loans for many graduate programs. Hundreds of institutions,...