Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Disability accommodations surge at elites — critics and donors push back
Universities are reporting sharp increases in students seeking disability accommodations—extended time, ADHD and mental‑health diagnoses—fueling debate over diagnosis rates and academic standards....
International students report fear; Purdue faces allegations over 'adversary nation' admissions
A Stop AAPI Hate survey found international students reporting heightened fear, decreased belonging and concerns about visa security under current federal policies. More than half of respondents...
Elite colleges prioritize economic diversity; some pilot early aid previews for Early Decision
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative‑action rulings, selective institutions are shifting recruitment toward socioeconomic diversity, reporting record increases in Pell‑eligible and...
House elevates skills transcripts as transfer battles continue — evaluation systems frustrate learners
A House hearing highlighted the potential of skills‑based transcripts and learning records as tools to connect education to employment, with Republicans and Democrats both signaling interest in...
Pacific and Willamette negotiate merger — plan would create largest private university in Oregon
Pacific University and Willamette University signed a letter of intent to negotiate a definitive merger that would create Oregon’s largest private institution, provisionally dubbed the University...
Education Department restores $208M for school mental‑health work after grant cancellations
The Education Department awarded more than $208 million through 65 grants to expand school mental‑health services, completing a year‑long effort that followed the abrupt cancellation of hundreds...
Education Dept. opens accreditation overhaul: public comment sought
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a formal request for information to revise its accreditation handbook, asking stakeholders for concrete ideas to reduce bureaucratic burdens and boost...
House education panel advances financial-aid transparency: net-price tool and standard award letters
The House Education and Workforce Committee voted to advance two bipartisan bills that would force federal action on college price transparency. Lawmakers advanced the Student Financial Clarity...
College costs climb 3.6% — HEPI flags sustained inflationary pressure
The Higher Education Price Index rose 3.6% in fiscal 2025, according to the Commonfund Institute’s HEPI release, extending a multi-year period of elevated cost pressures for colleges and...
Emporia State’s outgoing president donates $1.4M — aftermath of contested faculty cuts
Ken Hush, who became Emporia State University president in 2021 and is retiring this month, announced a roughly $1.4 million gift to the university—the equivalent of his last four years of salary....
Harvard FXB director to step down — center to refocus amid scrutiny over Palestine program
Mary Bassett will step down as director of Harvard’s François‑Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights on Jan. 9, 2026, Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health announced. Dean...
Pacific and Willamette signal merger: two Oregon colleges plan to create a larger private university
Pacific University and Willamette University signed a letter of intent to negotiate a merger that would create the largest private university in Oregon, provisionally called the University of the...
Education Department reissues mental‑health grants: 65 awards follow earlier cancellations
The U.S. Department of Education announced 65 new grant awards—totaling more than $208 million—to bolster school mental‑health services and training for future school psychologists after a...
International‑student slump costs local economies — nearly $1B hit and thousands of jobs lost
A 17% year‑over‑year drop in new international student enrollment translated into a nearly $1 billion hit to U.S. GDP and the loss of roughly 7,300 jobs, according to recent economic impact...
Without affirmative action, elites prioritize economic diversity — Pell enrollment climbs
Several of the nation’s most selective colleges are reporting record or rising enrollments of low‑income students after the Supreme Court’s ban on race‑conscious admissions, with institutions...
EEOC opens claims portal in $21M Columbia settlement — largest antisemitism payout to date
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened a claims process for current and former Columbia University employees covered by a July settlement addressing alleged antisemitic...
Willamette and Pacific to merge — Would form Oregon’s largest private university
Willamette University and Pacific University signed a letter of intent to negotiate a definitive merger that would create Oregon’s largest private institution, provisionally branded the University...
Education Department launches RFI on accreditation handbook — Seeks public input
The U.S. Department of Education issued a request for information to solicit public comment on rewriting the accreditation handbook as part of the Trump administration’s push to “reform and...
Pell Grant gap widens — Watchdog says program faces $6B–$11B annual shortfall
An analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warns the Pell Grant program faces a structural financing gap that could reach $6 billion to $11 billion each year over the next...
International enrollments drop... campuses lose money and students worry
U.S. colleges reported a 17% decline in new international student enrollment this year, a fall that economists estimate shaved nearly $1 billion from local economies and cost thousands of jobs in...