Federal Policy
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EEOC lawsuit alleges Washington University segregated DEI training by race
Under the Trump administration, the agency has vocally cracked down on diversity, equity and inclusion work under the auspices of Title VII.
By Caroline Colvin • Aug. 14, 2026 -
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Education Department: Over 1,900 colleges have overdue data submissions
Institutions have until Jan. 15 to submit two rounds of data required by the Biden-era gainful employment and financial value transparency rules.
By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 14, 2026 -
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Unions sue Education Department over ‘professional’ degree rule
Under a new rule, the designation allows students to take out $200,000 in federal student loans versus $100,000 for other graduate programs.
By Anna Merod • Aug. 13, 2026 -
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The Heritage Foundation releases sweeping model bill to overhaul higher ed
The conservative think tank framed the proposal as a way for state lawmakers to “codify the principles” of the Trump administration’s higher ed compact.
By Laura Spitalniak • Aug. 7, 2026 -
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McMahon calls on college leaders to commit to policy reforms by end of year
Her "Call to Action" repeats many themes from the 2025 proposed higher ed compact, such as viewpoint diversity and campus protest rules.
By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 3, 2026 -
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Bipartisan group of senators introduces bill to ban legacy admissions
Similar proposals have kicked around for years in Congress, but they’ve yet to become law despite sharpened public scrutiny of the practice.
By Ben Unglesbee • July 31, 2026 -
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$47M NSF pilot to arm Ph.D. students with private industry experience
Under the initiative, companies will provide funding so students can conduct dissertation research at their sites for at least a year.
By Natalie Schwartz • July 31, 2026 -
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Senate panel OKs bill to block Education Department’s postsecondary office transfer
The proposed legislation moves to the full Senate just weeks after the House introduced 10 bills that would codify some of the agency’s transfers.
By Anna Merod • July 30, 2026 -
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Will the College Transparency Act get the green light from lawmakers?
Major higher education groups argued the proposal would improve student outcomes data ahead of a Senate education committee markup.
By Natalie Schwartz • July 29, 2026 -
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Court blocks in-state tuition for undocumented students in Illinois
The ruling marks another victory for the U.S. Department of Justice, which has sued more than a dozen states over similar policies.
By Natalie Schwartz • July 28, 2026 -
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3 dozen of Harvard’s peers back its court fight against the Trump administration
Yale, Columbia, Brown and a raft of other institutions warned of damages to the national research system from “draconian” research funding cuts.
By Ben Unglesbee • July 27, 2026 -
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Inside the federal keyword lists that canceled billions in research funding
In court documents, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and others shared which words they used to target grants.
By Laura Spitalniak • July 27, 2026 -
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Education Department rescinds disparate impact regulations
Civil rights advocates say students of color will be harmed by the removal of the tool used to investigate racial discrimination.
By Anna Merod • July 24, 2026 -
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EEOC drops bid to press Penn for Jewish employee information
The Ivy League institution had fought the demand in court, citing workers’ privacy and the extensive information it had already turned over to the agency.
By Emilie Shumway • July 24, 2026 -
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Trump officials plan to shift more research funding to individual scientists
In a wide-ranging memo, they also directed federal agencies to experiment with models other than peer-review for assessing research proposals.
By Natalie Schwartz • July 23, 2026 -
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Ctrl+F: Federal agencies used keyword searches to nix grants en masse, court records show
The National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and other agencies cut awards over terms like “diversity” and “health equity.”
By Laura Spitalniak • July 23, 2026 -
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House education committee advances bill to define sex as ‘biological’
The Republican-led Title IX Clarification Act would narrow the definition under the sex-based anti-discrimination law, codifying a recent Supreme Court ruling.
By Anna Merod • July 23, 2026 -
Ben Unglesbee/Higher Ed Dive
‘A more defensive posture’: College finance leaders navigate a turbulent policy world
Experts discussed loan caps, federal probes and other shifts at the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ annual meeting.
By Ben Unglesbee • July 23, 2026 -
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Appeals court rejects Education Department’s bid to delay borrower defense decisions
The ruling is the latest in the long-running Sweet v. McMahon settlement, which promises timely decisions on borrower defense claims or automatic debt relief.
By Natalie Schwartz • July 22, 2026 -
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DOJ alleges UC San Diego illegally uses race in medical school admissions
The highly selective medical school is the third in the University of California system to face such an accusation from the federal agency.
By Laura Spitalniak • Updated July 22, 2026 -
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Trump officials can’t revoke grants due to new agency goals, judge rules
The ruling scores a win for a group of 21 attorneys general and three governors who sued over the Trump administration’s approach to grant terminations.
By Natalie Schwartz • July 20, 2026 -
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Deep Dive‘A razor’s edge’: How colleges are navigating civil rights probes under Trump
Some colleges have cut deals, while others have fought back against federal officials. Both come with risks, legal experts say.
By Danielle McLean • July 20, 2026 -
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Trump administration caps student visa stays at 4 years under final rule
Critics have castigated the measure, arguing it ignores average degree completion times and creates unnecessary burdens for international students.
By Laura Spitalniak • Updated July 17, 2026 -
Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education/Flickr on July 16, 2026
House panel OKs permanent moves for some Education Department functions
Republican supporters say the higher education and K-12 changes would spur efficiencies. Democratic lawmakers say they would undermine public education.
By Kara Arundel • July 16, 2026 -
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What does the Supreme Court’s transgender athlete ruling mean for higher ed?
The landmark decision has big implications for transgender students — and the Title IX and litigation landscape for colleges.
By David Weisenfeld • July 13, 2026
