Judge rules Trump policies deporting foreign students based on speech unconstitutional

“In the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people,” U.S. District Judge Noël Wise said in her decision. “It is not the government’s to take.”

By Laura Spitalniak • Aug. 31, 2026

Week in review: Trump administration targets ABA’s accrediting arm

We’re rounding up last week’s stories, from developments in high-profile court cases in higher education to artificial intelligence policies on campuses.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 31, 2026

The colleges facing DOJ accusations of racial discrimination in admissions

The University of California, Los Angeles’ law and medical schools are now both facing Trump administration allegations of discrimination. 

Updated Oct. 2, 2026

DOJ sues 4 more states over tuition laws for undocumented students

Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington are among 21 states that have faced lawsuits from the Trump administration over such policies.

By Laura Spitalniak • Aug. 28, 2026

Labor Department issues rules axing affirmative action requirements for contractors

The documents follow up on one of President Donald Trump’s first orders that sought to alter the federal government’s antidiscrimination enforcement work.

By Ryan Golden • Aug. 26, 2026

Education Department takes first step to strip ABA of accreditation authority

Agency staff recommended ending federal recognition for the American Bar Association’s accreditation arm, ramping up attacks on the organization. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 24, 2026

Education Department proposal would make it easier to end grants

The move would give the agency broad authority to end grants, including “for convenience,” after such approaches have led to legal disputes.

By Naaz Modan • Aug. 24, 2026

Education Department proposes accreditation overhaul

The rule would ease the way for new accreditors to form and give agencies significant new duties, including overseeing intellectual diversity policies.

By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 19, 2026

DOJ whistleblower alleges probes into universities were politically motivated

A career attorney accused Trump officials of pressing for deals at Harvard, Columbia and Brown, despite insufficient evidence or incomplete investigations.

By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 18, 2026

Coalition sues Trump administration over 4-year student visa cap

Plaintiffs argued that the new rule would be “catastrophic” for universities and international students, and have asked a federal judge to block it.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 18, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

$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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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