Higher education leaders face a raft of federal changes that will alter funding, international enrollment and regulatory oversight in 2026. Congress passed a major spending package that rewrites student-lending rules and funds immigration and enforcement priorities; the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will end Grad PLUS loans and impose new borrowing caps starting July 1. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is pursuing aggressive regulatory and enforcement actions—ranging from tighter controls on international students to increased investigations—that colleges say will reshape institutional compliance, finances and admissions strategies.