The Latest

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    Deep Dive

    5 higher ed lawsuits to watch in 2026

    The Trump administration is at the center of major unfolding litigation, from efforts to cap overhead research funding to attacks on Harvard University.

  • Linda McMahon arrives to the U.S. Department of Education's building in Washington, D.C., for her first day in office.
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    US Department of Education. (2025). "03042025 SLM First day in the Office-3" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Education Department moves to overhaul accreditation regulations

    The agency wants to make it easier for new accreditors to gain recognition and to curb diversity, equity and inclusion standards, per a Federal Register notice. 

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    Laura Spitalniak/Higher Ed Dive
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    How college leaders decide when to speak out

    College presidents at the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ annual conference advised others to look to their mission as their North Star.

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    Deep Dive

    Does Northwestern’s $75M Trump deal stifle speech?

    First Amendment experts break down the free speech implications of the heavily scrutinized agreement to restore the university’s research funding. 

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    Laura Spitalniak/Higher Ed Dive
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    ‘The pace is relentless’: How college leaders are adapting to an increasingly hectic job

    Senior higher education officials shared their strategies for tackling busy jobs at the American Association of Colleges and Universities′ annual conference.

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    Cornell University lands $371.5M gift, the largest in its history

    The pledge from software billionaire David Duffield, added to his $100 million gift last year, will go toward the Ivy League institution's engineering school. 

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    Florida proposal seeks 1-year pause on H-1B hires at public universities

    The draft policy comes after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the state’s public university system to end what he described as “H-1B abuse.”

  • Donald Trump holds up a hat as he signs an executive order while sitting at his desk in the Oval Office
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    Education Department halts effort to implement controversial anti-DEI letter

    The agency dropped its appeal of a court ruling against guidance aimed at ending race-based programs in colleges and schools.

  • Brick building with sculpture in court yard and banner reading "Morris Brown College."
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    The image by Clifflandis is licensed under CC BY 1.0
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    In rapid about-face, Morris Brown College brings back president it fired

    The historically Black institution’s board said it didn’t comply with contractual and procedural requirements when it terminated Kevin James.

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    University of Pennsylvania rebuffs EEOC demand for employee records

    The Ivy League institution said it is objecting to creating lists of workers that would “reveal their Jewish faith or ancestry” over safety and other concerns.

  • A group of four students walk on the sidewalk of a college campus.
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    Federal policy uncertainty is disrupting planning, college leaders say

    Concerns loom large about institutional autonomy and long-term financial viability, an American Council on Education survey found.

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    Samuel Corum via Getty Images
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    Congress moves to reject Trump plan to slash Education Department funding

    A bipartisan 2026 spending proposal from both legislative chambers would preserve funding for a litany of student support programs.

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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Trump 2.0’s impact on higher ed: The first year in 8 numbers

    A chaotic 2025 brought dozens of federal college probes, thousands of revoked international student visas, and billions in threatened research funding.

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    Nevada public colleges eye tuition hikes to spare some 300 jobs

    The state’s higher education system is considering a 12% tuition increase at four-year institutions and 9% for two-year colleges amid a looming funding gap.

  • An aerial view of Hampshire College's campus, in Massachusetts.
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    Hampshire College faces closure risk if it can’t refinance debt, audit says

    The private Massachusetts institution is in financial distress once again after coming back from the brink of closure in 2019. 

  • An image of a campus building on Portland State University's campus.
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    Portland State agrees to reinstate 10 laid-off faculty members

    Although officials are complying with a recent arbitration order, the university’s president contends the reductions were “necessary and appropriate.”

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    The image by HaeB is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    California College of the Arts to close, Vanderbilt to take over campus

    The expanding Tennessee university plans to keep alive aspects of the 120-year-old arts college’s legacy. 

  • Students are sitting at several tables working in groups. There are laptops and notebooks on the tables and the tables are pushed to a wall of windows.
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    Fall 2025 enrollment increased 1% — but the devil is in the details

    Undergraduates drove growth, but graduate headcounts fell amid a loss of foreign students, per the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

  • Education Department launches 18 Title IX transgender athlete investigations

    The new string of investigations into some colleges and schools comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court hearing on the issue this week.

  • Protesters for and against transgender athletes competing in women's sports gather outside the Supreme Court on January 13, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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    Heather Diehl via Getty Images
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    Supreme Court weighs state restrictions on transgender student athletes

    Justices heard back-to-back oral arguments Tuesday over two cases that could determine whether such bans are constitutional. 

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    Senate advances bills rejecting Trump’s efforts to slash research funding

    The White House sought cuts of 40% or more at some agencies, but lawmakers from both parties are pushing to hold science spending relatively steady.

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    Texas just made it easier for students to report DEI, faculty senate violations

    The Students First portal is meant to give "the public easy access to file complaints" about colleges, a new state oversight office said.

  • A large sign reading "Portland State University" with a grassy, rainy campus in the background
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    Laura Spitalniak/Higher Ed Dive
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    How Oregon’s top higher ed board wants to solve university deficits

    The state's Higher Education Coordinating Commission recommended "institutional integration" and regular audits of academic programs.

  • Gavin Newsom up close shot.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    California public colleges would get millions in new funding under Newsom plan

    Gov. Gavin Newsom's fiscal 2027 budget proposal represents a sharp turnaround from last year, when he advocated for big higher ed cuts.

  • The exterior of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Supreme Court to hear arguments in transgender student athlete cases

    Justices on Tuesday will weigh whether Title IX protects transgender athletes or bans them from participating on teams aligning with their gender identity.