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Federal oversight of education civil rights and special education is being moved out of ED
The U.S. Department of Education began transferring core civil-rights investigation and special-education responsibilities to other federal agencies, advancing the Trump administration’s plan to...
Graduate student borrowing changes spur state-level aid responses
As federal loan caps and the elimination of Grad PLUS take effect July 1, Minnesota launched the SELF Grad Loan program to fill gaps for graduate students. The state’s low-interest, fixed-rate...
Special education and civil-rights responsibilities are being operationally relocated
The Education Department outlined how its civil-rights and special-education functions will be reassigned through new interagency agreements, with OCR moving to the Justice Department and OSERS...
Tuition affordability and student finance pressure are reshaping institution and student behavior
New research-backed reporting describes how tuition-billing reminders and standard collections workflows help some students while worsening outcomes for others. Instead of viewing missed payment...
Students are reshaping majors and career plans as AI disruption hits entry-level work
Goldman Sachs data suggests college students are changing majors at a faster pace than in prior technological transitions as they reassess exposure to AI disruption. In its analysis, enrollment in...
Campus speech policy enforcement staffing is expanding
Higher education institutions are hiring dedicated “student expression specialists” to create, explain, and enforce college speech policies, reflecting how campus protests and enforcement demands...
Data center infrastructure is becoming a higher-ed competitive differentiator—while communities push back
New reporting and analysis warn that universities’ ability to build and operate AI-capable computing infrastructure is increasingly defining institutional competitiveness. The argument centers on...
Accreditation branding changes signal a broader reframe of regional accreditation identity
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges announced it will operate under a new public-facing brand beginning September 1, moving to “The Commission on Colleges and...
Federal policy and AI in schools: lawmakers ask for guardrails and teacher training
A U.S. Senate hearing focused on how schools should use AI while protecting “human judgment.” Witnesses told lawmakers that guardrails and outcome-based evaluation should guide adoption, and...
University leadership changes and board tensions spark athletics and community fallout
Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo publicly criticized Board of Trustees tensions that he said contributed to the departure of President Kevin Guskiewicz and the athletic...
A.I. governance and integrity in K–12 and higher ed
A U.S. Senate education hearing on Tuesday pressed state and district leaders to adopt guardrails for AI in schools while maintaining “human judgment” in classrooms, with witnesses calling for...
Federal student aid changes tighten graduate borrowing—nurses target the cap
Federal student loan borrowing limits take effect July 1 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, capping Grad PLUS borrowing at $100,000 for graduate degrees and $200,000 for professional degrees....
State-level graduate financing ramps up after Grad PLUS exits
Minnesota launched SELF Grad Loan, a state low-interest graduate program created after federal Grad PLUS loans were eliminated and other federal graduate loan caps tightened ahead of July 1. The...
Education Dept civil rights and special education enforcement shifts to DOJ and HHS
The U.S. Department of Education is moving key civil rights enforcement and special education responsibilities to other federal agencies as part of the Trump administration’s broader restructuring...
Student lending and admissions policy: England considers GCSE English threshold for loans
Ministers in England are considering a national threshold that would require passing GCSE English to access government-backed tuition and maintenance loans through the Student Loans Company. The...
Campus governance turmoil and athletics leadership at Michigan State
Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo publicly criticized board tensions that preceded the departure of President Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director leadership changes....
Academic infrastructure competition: data centers become a research recruiting lever
Higher education researchers and administrators are facing a new competitive constraint as universities race to build AI-ready computing capacity. A new analysis frames the “data center” as the...
Cybersecurity: Canvas hack shows wider exposure to higher-ed systems
Higher education institutions are dealing with the fallout of a broader Canvas targeting campaign. Reporting says ShinyHunters—the cybercrime group behind last month’s Canvas hack—may have gained...
Institutional transitions: St. John’s College consolidates presidencies amid enrollment pressure
St. John’s College voted to consolidate its separate campus presidencies in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, folding the roles into one collegewide presidency. The governing board...
Direct admissions and testing policy rollback: Columbia reinstates SAT/ACT for 2027–28
Columbia University will reinstate SAT or ACT requirements for undergraduate applicants beginning with the 2027–28 admissions cycle, reversing an extended test-optional stance. The university said...