Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Supreme Court to hear birthright citizenship challenge — K‑12 and campus administrators brace
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to President Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship, a case with direct consequences for schools and educational...
Faculty dissent and academic freedom: prize declined, grading row raises governance alarms
A Purdue University history professor declined a major Modern Language Association prize in protest of the MLA’s handling of Gaza‑related resolutions, citing institutional silence and suppression...
NIH accessibility rule stirs researchers — funding cuts ripple through industry
An NIH open‑access policy intended to make taxpayer‑funded research immediately available to the public has created new compliance costs and financial pressure for scientists and university labs,...
Chronicle tracks Trump’s higher‑ed agenda — continued federal pressure and legal fights
The Chronicle of Higher Education is maintaining an ongoing tracker of executive orders, agency actions and legal challenges tied to the Trump administration’s higher‑education agenda. That agenda...
Education Dept unveils Workforce Pell rules — governors to define eligible short-term programs
The U.S. Department of Education released draft regulatory language this week to implement the new Workforce Pell program and opened a negotiated-rulemaking session with students, employers and...
Ratings firms warn: higher‑education credit outlook weakens for 2026
Fitch Ratings on Thursday issued a “deteriorating” outlook for U.S. higher education in 2026, joining Moody’s and S&P in signaling sector stress. Fitch cited a shrinking pool of prospective...
Yale braces for cuts — endowment tax forces universities to reassess budgets
Yale University told staff this week it expects to pay roughly $300 million annually under a new higher endowment income tax and is preparing hiring freezes, spending reductions and possible...
Universities strike compliance deals — faculty and senates push back
A string of settlements and compacts between the federal government and major universities—Northwestern, Columbia, Brown, Cornell and Penn among them—has drawn furious debate on campuses about...
Education Department reorganization sparks litigation — library grants restored by court
The Trump administration’s reorganization of the Education Department—moving programs and staff to other agencies—prompted a multi‑state lawsuit and calls for Secretary Linda McMahon’s...
Supreme Court to weigh birthright citizenship — states’ college‑access rules under scrutiny
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review whether President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship complies with the 14th Amendment, a decision that school leaders say could have...
Academic freedom and campus speech flareups — prize declined, grading dispute reignites debate
A Purdue history professor declined the Modern Language Association’s Scaglione Prize in protest of the association’s decisions and handling of resolutions related to Israel and Gaza, signaling...
Governance and politics: AGB urges Virginia reset as federal agenda reshapes boards
The Association of Governing Boards wrote to Virginia’s governor‑elect urging a reversal of recent politicized appointments to college boards, days after heightened federal scrutiny and...
AI in admissions and campus security: adoption accelerates as fraud risks rise
Colleges are moving AI into operational areas such as admissions—Southeast Missouri State is an early example—and vendors and startups are racing to meet new security needs. The rise in AI...
Employers press campuses for work‑oriented learning — soft skills gap persists
Corporate executives are telling K‑12 and higher‑education leaders to expand career and technical education, internships and hands‑on experiences so graduates emerge with workplace‑ready skills....
Education Dept. presents Workforce Pell draft: eight‑week programs targeted
The U.S. Department of Education released draft regulatory language outlining how short‑term workforce training programs could qualify for the new Workforce Pell Grants. The draft specifies state...
Education Dept. reshuffle prompts lawsuits — states and Democrats push back
The Trump administration’s moves to shrink and redistribute functions of the U.S. Department of Education have triggered lawsuits, calls for Secretary Linda McMahon’s resignation, and widespread...
Universities accept Trump agreements — oversight tradeoffs emerge
Several major universities have reached settlement agreements with the Trump administration to end investigations and restore frozen research funds, a tactic that has drawn sharp debate about...
Yale braces for layoffs — $300M endowment tax forces belt‑tightening
Yale University told faculty and staff it expects layoffs as it prepares to pay roughly $300 million a year under a new higher endowment tax that takes effect in 2026. Senior leaders said schools...
Rating agencies flag higher‑ed credit risk: 2026 outlook turns negative
Three major rating agencies—Fitch, S&P Global and Moody’s—issued negative outlooks for U.S. higher education credit in 2026, citing declining enrollment, caps on federal loan programs, visa and...
Cost becomes graduate‑enrollment gatekeeper — adult learners balk at price
A new survey of more than 8,000 current and prospective graduate and adult learners found cost is now the top factor in program choice, surpassing accreditation. The EAB report shows 60% of...