Most clicked story of the week
The new year brings new challenges and, if 2026 is anything like its predecessor, the coming months could be more challenging than most. We rounded up six trends we expected to shape higher education's 2026, including continued federal probes into colleges, restrictions on international students and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act taking effect.
Number of the week: $1.1M
The amount the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will pay departing Chancellor Rodney Bennett. The hefty payout drew criticism from faculty, who are facing job cuts and program eliminations under a plan Bennett put in place.
Legal losses for the National Institutes of Health
- A federal appeals court upheld a lower court's ruling that blocked the National Institutes of Health from unilaterally capping research funding for indirect costs. The agency declined to comment or say if it intends to appeal the decision further
- The NIH also settled a lawsuit with 16 states after it halted the decisionmaking process on thousands of grants earlier this year. The large-scale freeze came after internal NIH guidance sought to direct funds away from topics the Trump administration disfavored, like diversity, equity and inclusion. The administration did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, but NIH must commit to the usual grant review process and cannot apply its anti-DEI directive.
More updates from the courts
- The Trump administration unexpectedly scrapped its efforts to defend the termination of more than 400 Education Department staff during the most recent government shutdown. The administration in December had appealed a court order requiring affected staff to be rehired, but it withdrew its appeal less than a month later.
- A federal district court judge ruled that President Donald Trump did not exceed his authority by issuing a proclamation that requires employers to pay a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. The Association of American Universities, one of the organizations suing over the cost, has already appealed the decision.
College presidents look ahead to 2026
- At the Council of Independent Colleges' annual Presidents Institute, hundreds of private nonprofit leaders gathered to discuss the biggest policy changes that higher education administrators should track.
- Seven college presidents also shared what they believe will be higher ed's most significant opportunities and challenges in the coming year, touching on mergers, workforce development and the end of federal Grad PLUS loans.
Quote of the Week
This is the exact kind of federal overreach Virginians rejected in November.
Jay Jones
Attorney general-elect of Virginia
Jones joined student advocates in criticizing Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and the U.S. Department of Justice for their efforts to end a state law allowing certain undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. Miyares, a Republican who will leave office this week, filed a joint motion with the agency against the law after the DOJ sued Virginia.
