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.
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US Department of Education. (2025). "03042025 SLM First day in the Office-3" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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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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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‘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.”
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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.
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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.
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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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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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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.
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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.
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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
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.
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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.
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Retrieved from U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.