Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Trump budget threat: work‑study on the chopping block — student aid program at risk
The Trump administration has proposed cuts to federal work-study, a program that subsidizes campus and community jobs for nearly 700,000 students and has long enjoyed bipartisan support....
Coursera shifts model: 15% platform fee reshapes university upskilling deals
Coursera told university and corporate partners it will start charging a 15% platform fee in 2026, a move that signals a broader pivot away from the revenue‑share OPM model toward a...
Common App report: more underrepresented applicants — international pool shrinks
New Common App data show application growth concentrated among underrepresented groups—Black applicants rose 16%, multiracial applicants 11%, first‑generation applicants 12%, and low‑income...
Campus layoffs' survivors strain research operations — UCSD animal techs report burnout
At the University of California, San Diego, cuts in animal‑care staffing have left remaining technicians with dramatically larger caseloads and growing concerns about research quality and...
Education Dept. narrows admissions‑data order — open‑admission colleges spared new reporting
The Education Department amended an August executive action to limit a new IPEDS admissions and consumer‑transparency supplement to four‑year institutions, exempting open‑admission colleges and...
Judge blocks White House funding squeeze: UC wins reprieve
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration and allied agencies to stop a policy that denied future grants to University of California campuses, halting efforts to coerce concessions from...
James Ryan: a presidency undone — board fights and DOJ pressure
Former University of Virginia president James E. Ryan published a detailed account alleging intense political pressure and what he described as a ‘hostage situation’ that led to his abrupt...
Texas A&M clamps down on curriculum: course approvals now required
The Texas A&M System approved a new policy requiring prior approval for courses that ‘advocate’ race‑ or gender‑related ideologies, a move faculty members warn will chill academic freedom. The...
Small college closure: Sterling College to end degree programs in 2026
Sterling College in Vermont announced it will close after the spring 2026 semester, citing persistent enrollment declines and financial pressure. The environmental‑studies focused college reported...
Common App snapshot: underrepresented applicants rise, internationals dip
New Common App early‑application data show a rise in applicants from Black, first‑generation, low‑income and rural backgrounds while international applications fall. Black applicants rose 16%...
Johns Hopkins cuts student costs — new grant frees middle‑class families
Johns Hopkins University announced a sweeping financial aid change eliminating tuition, fees and living expenses for Homewood undergraduates from families earning less than $100,000 a year;...
Coursera shifts revenue model — colleges face new platform fee
Coursera told university and corporate partners it will charge a 15% platform fee beginning in 2026, a pivot away from tuition‑share OPM contracts toward fee‑for‑service and platform monetization....
Anthropic under scrutiny: bias claims and an AI‑driven cyberattack
Anthropic launched a public push to show its Claude chatbot meets standards of political even‑handedness while also reporting it thwarted a large‑scale, largely agentic cyberattack. The company...
Shutdown fallout: education funding delayed, schools brace for months of impact
The record 43‑day federal shutdown ended, but education leaders warned the pause will have lingering effects on K‑12 and higher‑education funding flows. Late Head Start and Impact Aid payments...
Survivor stress on campus: staff spared from layoffs report burnout
At the University of California, San Diego and other campuses, employees who kept their jobs after layoffs describe anxiety, exhaustion, and strained operations. Animal‑care technician Verenice...
U.Va. resignation: James Ryan alleges DOJ pressure, board split
Former University of Virginia president James E. Ryan released a detailed 12‑page letter describing an intense pressure campaign that led to his abrupt resignation. Ryan says Department of Justice...
Federal rebuke and campus cuts: Judge bars threats to UC funding — staff feel the squeeze
A federal judge has rebuked the Trump administration, ordering it not to threaten the University of California’s federal funding as part of a broader dispute over enforcement and oversight. The...
Work‑study on the chopping block: Administration proposal threatens campus subsidies
The Trump administration has proposed scaling back federal work‑study funding, a program that provides roughly $1 billion in subsidies annually and supports about 700,000 students with part‑time...
U.K. policy alarm: Manchester warns 6% international surcharge will hurt universities
Duncan Ivison, president and vice‑chancellor of the University of Manchester, publicly criticized the U.K. government’s proposed 6% surcharge on international‑student tuition, calling the levy...
Common App snapshot: More underrepresented applicants — international demand slips
The Common App’s early‑cycle data shows a rise in applications from underrepresented U.S. cohorts and a simultaneous drop in international applicants. Compared with last season, applications from...