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Audit revelations and warnings point to mounting bankruptcy risk for colleges
An Ohio state audit found 'derelict accounting and controls' at the now-closed Eastern Gateway Community College, flagging $17.3 million in federal aid lacking adequate records and cataloguing...
Graduate programs and campus budgets face cuts after policy shifts
Graduate education is under intensifying strain as funding cuts, visa restrictions and proposed loan caps imperil master’s and doctoral programs. Reporting and analysis indicate growing...
Board oversight and trustee advocacy come into focus
Governing boards and trustees are being urged to sharpen oversight as institutions navigate political pressure and financial stress. Practical guidance pieces circulated this week outline quick,...
Completion rates steady but colleges miss pockets of student growth
New clearinghouse data show six-year college completion for the fall‑2019 cohort held at 61.1%, with clear disparities by enrollment intensity, age and prior dual enrollment. Full-time starters...
S&P issues negative 2026 outlook: nonprofit colleges face mounting pressure
S&P Global Ratings on Tuesday issued a negative outlook for U.S. nonprofit colleges, warning institutions will face mounting operating pressures in 2026. Analysts cited federal policy shifts,...
Accreditation as tactic: states and new agencies push alternatives to traditional accreditors
Federal and state actors are recalibrating accreditation. CHEA leadership and higher‑ed officials argued institutions can use accreditation reviews to sharpen strategy and student‑success goals,...
Universities make high‑stakes deals with the federal government — Northwestern pays $75M
Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million to settle a federal investigation and restore nearly $800 million in research funding, the university and the Department of Education confirmed....
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...