Enrollment
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Oregon State hikes tuition over 6% for new students amid budget gap
Trustees at the public university approved the increase Friday in the face of a $14 million budget shortfall.
By Ben Unglesbee • March 16, 2026 -
Black students are the fastest growing demographic for Common App
Data suggests "no meaningful deviations" from previous trends after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision ending race-conscious admissions.
By Naaz Modan • March 13, 2026 -
Explore the Trendline➔
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TrendlineEnrollment and Retention
A look at the pandemic's continuing impact on enrollment and how colleges can ensure students stay on course.
By Higher Ed Dive staff -
Portland State University could close 3 departments, trim over a dozen others
The public institution is grappling with a $35 million budget hole, but some faculty criticized the plan for cuts as “hasty and unimaginative.”
By Ben Unglesbee • March 11, 2026 -
Education Department urged to broaden ‘professional’ student definition
Professional students will be able to borrow $100,000 more than other graduate students, but a proposed rule would exclude certain fields from the higher cap.
By Ben Unglesbee • March 3, 2026 -
University of Iowa seeks to cut 7 degrees
The proposed eliminations follow a mandated review that flagged undergraduate majors and master’s degrees deemed to have low enrollment.
By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 26, 2026 -
Sponsored by Encoura
The comeback starts here: How university leaders are reclaiming the future of higher ed
As pressures mount against higher education institutions and the industry as a whole, colleges and universities are stepping up to lead higher education’s comeback.
By Richard Garrett, Eduventures Chief Research Officer at Encoura • Feb. 23, 2026 -
Q&A
Can Drexel’s new president make the university into a household name?
Antonio Merlo discussed leading the Philadelphia private nonprofit through an academic transformation and navigating higher education’s choppy waters.
By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 23, 2026 -
The image by Michael Barera is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
University of North Texas braces for budget cuts amid $45M deficit
The institution’s leader attributed the gap to drops in state funding and larger-than-expected declines in international graduate enrollment.
By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 18, 2026 -
Deep Dive
International enrollment is under pressure. How can colleges respond?
Amid tighter visa policies, experts suggest colleges expand recruitment efforts and provide foreign students with more flexibility to help them feel welcome.
By Danielle McLean • Feb. 17, 2026 -
The image by Finetooth is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
‘An urgent operational reality’: Southern Oregon University faces looming cash shortfall
The struggling regional institution has seen enrollment decline and is now trying to manage its expenses amid constrained revenue.
By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 4, 2026 -
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.
By Laura Spitalniak • Jan. 15, 2026 -
Sponsored by Concept3D
What the 2026 salary report reveals about retention risk in higher ed marketing
New salary data highlights growing retention risks for higher ed marketing teams.
Jan. 12, 2026 -
Guilford College comes off accreditor probation after budget cuts
The college was hunting for cash to balance its budget just six months ago. But donations and cost cuts saved it from accreditation loss.
By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 10, 2025 -
Wisconsin public universities could start shedding programs more rapidly
A committee developed a new metric based on enrollment that could increase the number of degrees that get flagged for review.
By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 10, 2025 -
S&P: Negative outlook for nonprofit colleges in 2026
The credit ratings agency on Tuesday cited federal policy shifts, rising costs and increased competition over students.
By Ben Unglesbee • Dec. 3, 2025 -
New international enrollment dipped this fall, NAFSA survey finds
The poll is the second released this month to show significant declines, especially in new foreign graduate students coming to the U.S.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 26, 2025 -
Florida public universities plan to cut at least 18 academic programs
The eliminations are part of a regular review of degree productivity based on graduate numbers. The latest review found 214 underperforming programs.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 24, 2025 -
Sonoma State University gets new leader after turbulent year of cuts
Cal State veteran Michael Spagna is set to take over the institution in January following widely opposed budget cuts and amid ongoing enrollment troubles.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 21, 2025 -
Higher education outlook remains negative for 2026, Moody’s says
Enrollment, political and cost pressures abound and will stick around in the new year, analysts said in a recent report.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 21, 2025 -
The image by Mwanner is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
SUNY enrollment grew 2.9% in fall 2025, continuing upward trend
The system's 30 community colleges saw a 5% headcount jump, which New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in part attributed to a new free college initiative.
By Laura Spitalniak • Nov. 20, 2025 -
Sterling College in Vermont to close
The environmental-focused institution, which has under 40 students, said that closing now was the responsible move to support their transitions.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 14, 2025 -
Net tuition rises at colleges, but costs are far below their peaks
The prices students and their families paid after aid at four-year public colleges and private nonprofits ticked up in 2025-26, per College Board estimates.
By Ben Unglesbee • Nov. 7, 2025 -
Sponsored by Mighty Citizen
How to stop sounding like every other university
Today’s students quickly spot generic, rinse-and-repeat marketing from a university. Cut through the sameness and create a positioning strategy that actually connects.
By Whitney Larimer and Mike Steckel • Nov. 3, 2025 -
California governor signs Cal State direct admissions program into law
A pilot version of the program proactively offered thousands of students acceptance into the public university system.
By Ben Unglesbee • Updated Oct. 14, 2025 -
DePaul University weighs budget measures amid cratering international enrollment
The private Chicago nonprofit is considering cutting executive pay and freezing staff hiring after new international graduate enrollment fell 62% from last year.
By Ben Unglesbee • Oct. 6, 2025