Get the Daily Brief
Latest Higher Education News
Entry‑level jobs evaporate — graduates and career services under pressure
A new report finds CUNY graduates are encountering a shortage of entry‑level positions in New York City despite rising graduation rates, prompting calls for stronger employer partnerships and...
Education Department orders accreditors: Remove DEI standards now
The Education Department’s under secretary, Nicholas Kent, sent formal letters directing two accrediting agencies to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion standards he says violate federal...
Colleges scramble: Federal demand for admissions data strains IR offices
Institutional research offices are scrambling to respond to a sweeping federal demand for admissions and enrollment data, according to reporting by Eric Hoover. Colleges across the country are...
International applications collapse – U.S. campuses face $55 billion hit
U.S. universities are seeing a sharp drop in international applicants and enrollments after a visa‑interview pause and processing delays last year, according to reporting that calls the decline a...
HLC endorses microcredentials: Accreditation opens to short courses
The Higher Learning Commission has formally endorsed its first microcredential providers, signaling an accreditation pathway for short, competency‑based credentials outside traditional degree...
Students shift mid‑degree — transfers hit record high
Nearly 1.2 million students transferred colleges in fall 2024, a 4.4% year‑over‑year rise and a continuing trend that now makes transfer students roughly 13% of non‑first‑year undergraduates,...
Small colleges cut or lay off: Subsidy losses and structural deficits force moves
Two private institutions signaled deep cost‑cutting moves this week as fiscal pressures mount. The University of Providence in Montana launched a program review after its affiliated health system...
Campus antisemitism and speech collide: Lawsuits and congressional findings
A University of Florida student organization sued the university after the campus chapter of the College Republicans was deactivated following allegations of an antisemitic gesture by a member;...
Shared governance vs. transparency: Boards, presidents and state rules at odds
Conflict over faculty governance and curricular transparency intensified as the University of Arizona president refused to sign a traditional shared‑governance memorandum amid state legislative...
Boards and accreditation: Toolkit and a caution about reforms
Two items this week framed governance’s role in accreditation. The Association of Governing Boards released a toolkit aimed at helping trustees understand and use accreditation effectively,...
Business schools reposition: Data‑driven admissions and research dominance
Business schools moved on two fronts this week: admissions strategy and research standing. The Darden School of Business hired Willie Green, a talent recruitment leader from Google and Amazon, as...
Education data fight: colleges scramble as White House demands admissions files
Colleges are racing to comply with a Trump administration order that seeks detailed applicant and admissions data from institutions nationwide. Institutional research offices warn the request —...
States, DoD pilot enlistment links: filling a blind spot in student outcome tracking
Five states are launching a pilot with the Council of Chief State School Officers and the U.S. Department of Defense to add military enlistment records into K–12 longitudinal data systems this...
International enrollments crash: U.S. campuses face a sudden loss of foreign students
U.S. institutions are confronting a sharp drop in new international enrollments after visa interview pauses and processing delays left tens of thousands of admitted students stranded in 2025....
Accreditation under pressure: feds, critics and practitioners clash over DEI and oversight
Education Department officials and critics are escalating scrutiny of accreditors, with a senior agency official warning that accrediting standards that include diversity, equity and inclusion may...
Campus climate escalates: antisemitism probes prompt lawsuits and congressional scrutiny
Campus discipline over alleged antisemitic conduct has triggered litigation and a House Republican report declaring antisemitism a systemic campus problem. At the University of Florida, a...
Shared governance strains: a university president resists traditional faculty accord
At the University of Arizona, the president’s refusal to sign a traditional shared-governance memorandum has sparked conflict with faculty and state lawmakers. Shared governance, codified in...
Workforce shock: faculty layoffs and late pay spotlight campus budget stress
The New School announced plans to cut another 15% of staff after voluntary buyouts failed to close a $30 million structural deficit, signaling deeper financial retrenchment at private institutions...
Enrollment mechanics: more transfers and rising SAT participation reshape pipelines
New data show nearly 1.2 million students transferred colleges in fall 2024 — continuing a multi-year rise in mid‑degree movement that now represents about 13% of non-first‑year undergraduates....
Veterans, benefits and campus life: eligibility wins meet creative veteran programming
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ withdrawal of an appeal in a benefits case opened eligibility for up to 1.2 million veterans to claim additional education benefits — potentially adding a year...