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Latest Higher Education News
FAFSA rollout rebounds: simplified form and earlier open date lift completions
The simplified FAFSA opened ahead of Oct. 1 this year and early data show a significant rebound: more than a quarter of high‑school seniors had filed by Nov. 21, a roughly 12% jump versus the...
Graduate programs and campus finances: warnings of collapses and bankruptcies mount
Observers are raising alarms about graduate education and institutional solvency. Analysts and reporters point to visa restrictions, funding cuts, and loan‑cap proposals as threats to master’s and...
Board governance under the microscope: checkups and safeguards proposed
Higher‑education leaders are focusing renewed attention on governing boards as trustees take an outsized role in strategic and political disputes. Practical diagnostics—attendance, committee...
Content reviews and campus media suspensions: race, gender and DEI restrictions spread
Public universities are enacting new content‑review rules and taking action against student publications that administrators say may replicate prohibited DEI practices. Texas Tech issued...
AI on campus: facilities and athletics adopt machine learning to cut costs and prevent injury
Universities are piloting AI tools across campus operations. Facilities teams are building digital twins—virtual replicas of buildings and systems—to predict maintenance needs, reduce downtime and...
Access and completion: four‑year colleges add two‑year options as students switch majors
Four‑year institutions are rolling out two‑year associate programs to broaden access for first‑generation and low‑income students. Campuses such as Boston College’s new Messina College pilot...
Audits and cuts force closures: state reviews expose mismanagement and drive program reductions
State audits and shifting federal policy continue to precipitate campus cuts and closures. Ohio’s auditor found pervasive recordkeeping failures and questioned $17.3 million in federal aid at the...
Northwestern cuts deal—$75 million, federal funding restored
Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million and accept a suite of federal conditions to recover roughly $790 million in research funding that the Trump administration had frozen. The...
Administration moves to split Education Department—agencies to inherit programs
The Trump administration announced interagency agreements to move key Department of Education programs into other federal agencies, dividing responsibility for workforce grants, K‑12 and...
States test new accreditor—Louisiana task force votes to join
A Louisiana higher‑education task force voted to seek membership in the Commission for Public Higher Education, the nascent accreditor formed by several Southeastern public‑university systems. The...
Boards under pressure—AGB urges trustees to defend autonomy
The Association of Governing Boards urged trustees to bolster institutional autonomy and foundation independence amid mounting political pressures. AGB’s president‑CEO update provided tools for...
Faculty governance frays—senates and job security under scrutiny
Debates about shared governance and faculty protections intensified as commentators and academics questioned the resilience of faculty senates and tenure systems. Recent essays and features...
FAFSA completions climb—simplified form and early open drive gains
FAFSA completion rates surged for the Class of 2026 after the simplified form opened earlier than required this year. By Nov. 21, roughly 26% of high‑school seniors had filed—a near 12% increase...
Graduate programs and colleges face financial squeeze—collapse and bankruptcies looming
Analysts and academics warned that funding cuts, loan caps and visa restrictions are imperiling graduate education and could trigger broader institutional distress. A feature on graduate‑school...
LSU splits top roles—system president, campus chancellor named
The Louisiana State University System separated its president and flagship chancellor roles, appointing Wade Rousse as system president and James Dalton as chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus....
Content oversight and anti‑DEI pressure—Texas Tech rules and campus magazine suspensions
Texas Tech University system issued new content‑review rules restricting how faculty teach race and gender, requiring administrative sign‑off for material deemed sensitive and banning promotion of...
AI reshapes admissions and curriculum—offices use tools to screen and transform learning
Colleges are increasingly deploying AI in admissions and instruction: some admissions offices now use AI to screen essays for authenticity and to speed application reviews, while others use...
Education Department broken up — interagency transfers spark legal pushback
The Trump administration announced a series of interagency agreements that move large swaths of Department of Education programming to other federal agencies, and state and advocacy groups have...
Northwestern pays $75M — funding restored after settlement with Trump administration
Northwestern University agreed to a $75 million payment and a set of policy changes to restore roughly $790 million in federal research funding that the Trump administration had frozen. The...
Campuses weigh the compact — UVA and Harvard take different paths on Trump proposals
University of Virginia solicited community feedback on the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence and reported overwhelming opposition; UVA ultimately rejected the compact but...