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

Washington University to acquire St. Louis College of Pharmacy

The college will become WashU’s 10th academic school and “strengthen interdisciplinary connections” across health fields, it said. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 26, 2026

Lawmakers release $8.8M of Utah State University’s funding after audit

Legislators had withheld the money for months while waiting for the audit, which ultimately found spending and governance problems.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 23, 2026

Week in review: UT System limits ‘controversial’ instruction

We’re rounding up recent stories, from a regional public university facing a $45 million deficit to other colleges facing budget or program cuts. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 23, 2026

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

Labouré College to close in August

After the Massachusetts institution ceases operations this summer, the nearby Curry College plans to absorb its nursing programs. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 13, 2026

Lourdes University in Ohio closing at end of academic year

Like many small Catholic institutions, it has wrestled with dwindling enrollment and rising financial pressures.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 13, 2026

Down 9.2%: Colleges see drop in new gifts to endowments

Colleges also tapped their endowments more in FY 2025, found the National Association of College and University Business Officers and Commonfund.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 12, 2026

Accreditor takes North Idaho College off probation

The institution experienced years of leadership and governance turmoil. Now its enrollment is rising and operations are stabilizing, the college says.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 11, 2026

Santa Monica College approves dozens of layoffs to target shortfalls

The California public institution is struggling with a persistent structural deficit as well as recent and long-term enrollment declines.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 9, 2026

‘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

Princeton moves to tighten budgets as investment markets slow

More than half of the Ivy League institution's operating revenue comes from endowment income, but lower returns and higher taxes could stymie growth.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 4, 2026

Duke’s budget and employee cuts called into question by audit

An analysis of the private North Carolina institution’s finances found ample reserves and resources, drawing a rebuke from faculty.

By Ben Unglesbee • Feb. 2, 2026

Penn undergoes another round of budget-tightening measures

The Ivy League institution directed leaders of its schools and centers to reduce “certain expenditures” by 4% amid federal policy headwinds.

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 30, 2026

Nevada higher ed leaders approve hefty tuition hike for public colleges

The 8-5 vote by the state college system’s governing board will ultimately raise tuition by 12% at four-year institutions and 9% for two-year colleges.

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 28, 2026

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. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 23, 2026

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.

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 21, 2026

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.

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 21, 2026

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.

By Laura Spitalniak • Jan. 20, 2026

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.

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 16, 2026

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. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 16, 2026

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. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 14, 2026

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.

By Ben Unglesbee • Jan. 13, 2026

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.

By Laura Spitalniak • Jan. 13, 2026