Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Top public rejects federal compact — UNC Chapel Hill declines to sign
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill publicly declined to sign the federal 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education' after administrators reviewed proposed terms that would...
Tarrant County College: 65 online faculty told to repay summer pay
Tarrant County College’s online campus, TCC Connect, told 65 faculty this month they must repay portions of summer pay after administrators said a contractual error led to overpayments. College...
UK campus unrest: Sheffield Hallam walkout and Lancaster work-to-rule
Staff at Sheffield Hallam University staged fresh strike action this week as members of the University and College Union (UCU) protested job cuts, workload and welfare concerns; the walkout...
Undergraduate lift: community colleges and short credentials drive growth
Preliminary National Student Clearinghouse numbers show undergraduate enrollment rose 2.4% this fall, marking a third straight year of gains and pushing overall postsecondary enrollment up about...
Accreditation and campus AI: faculty lead policy as accreditors tighten standards
Faculty are driving campus conversations about acceptable AI use in classrooms even as accreditors and professional bodies raise the bar for institutional AI strategy and research relevance....
Education Dept shifts funding priorities — staff cuts raise data and delivery risks
The U.S. Education Department published priorities for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), focusing awards on accreditation reform, artificial intelligence, civil...
Global talent squeeze: $100k H‑1B fee and Australia’s slower visa lane
Countries are tightening the rules that universities rely on to recruit faculty and students. The U.S. proclamation introducing a $100,000 fee on certain new H‑1B petitions has prompted...
PE roll‑up in college services: Guidewell buys mbaMission
Guidewell Education, backed by private‑equity investors, has acquired mbaMission in a deal the buyer described as part of a roll‑up strategy across the fragmented college‑services market....
SNAP uncertainty hits students — campus pantries strained as courts weigh benefits
Legal uncertainty over Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments — including a Supreme Court fight over the Trump administration’s request to block state disbursements — has left students...
Community college leaders urge Carnegie to drop new classification
A coalition of community college advocates asked Carnegie to withdraw its new Student Access and Earnings Classification, arguing the rubric understates community‑college missions and...
Hidden fees: campuses lack visibility into payment processing costs
A new report from Transact + CBORD finds only 17% of colleges and universities have full visibility into payment processing costs, leaving most institutions with fragmented vendor systems,...
Education Dept recasts grant priorities — FIPSE to fund accreditation, AI and workforce pilots
Lead: The U.S. Department of Education announced new priorities for its Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), directing competitions toward accreditation reform, artificial...
England’s post‑16 white paper: fees return — but tied to quality measures
Lead: The UK government’s Post‑16 Education & Skills White Paper puts inflation‑linked increases to home tuition and maintenance support back on the table while attaching those rises to...
$100K H‑1B fee rattles campuses — hiring international faculty could become costlier
Lead: A new presidential proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on certain H‑1B petitions has prompted urgent questions across research universities about the policy’s scope and exemptions and...
Shutdown exposes higher‑ed data risk — advocates warn federal collections could fragment
Lead: Advocates and higher‑education data experts warned that the government shutdown and Education Department staff reductions risk fracturing federal higher‑education data systems such as IPEDS...
Judge: Education Dept’s partisan out‑of‑office messages violate First Amendment
Lead: A federal judge ruled that automated out‑of‑office emails from Department of Education accounts that blamed Democratic senators for the government shutdown violated employees’ First...
Faculty run campus AI rules — instructors set student expectations more than admins
Lead: Survey data show that faculty—not administrators—are leading conversations about acceptable AI use in classrooms, and students report that instructors set the practical boundaries for...
Community colleges push back — Carnegie classification sparks sectorwide objection
Lead: Leaders of community colleges formally asked the Carnegie Classification project to withdraw a new Student Access and Earnings Classification after advocates said the system misrepresents...
Undergraduate enrollment edges up — certificates and two‑year colleges lead the rise
Lead: Preliminary National Student Clearinghouse data show overall postsecondary enrollment up about 2% this fall, driven by a 2.4% gain in undergraduate enrollment and strong growth in...
Payment processing blind spots cost campuses — finance leaders lack end‑to‑end visibility
Lead: A new Transact + CBORD report finds just 17% of higher‑education institutions have full visibility into payment processing costs, leaving most campuses with fragmented systems, hidden fees...