What college administrators should keep tabs on in 2023

These are the trends, stories and key admissions topics that are expected to shape the year ahead.

By Higher Ed Dive Staff • Feb. 8, 2023

Birmingham-Southern on ‘parallel tracks’ while it waits for word on public bailout

The nonprofit hopes to know soon if it will receive $37.5 million to stay open. It's taking applications despite preparing current students to transfer.

By Rick Seltzer • Feb. 8, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

College finances in a rapidly changing sector

Colleges are increasingly tightening their belts and pursuing alternative revenue sources amid declining enrollment and increased competition.

By Higher Ed Dive staff

Oklahoma’s public college system was ordered to detail diversity spending. Here’s its response.

Trying to root out “liberal indoctrination,” the education superintendent demanded regents identify how much money they devote to diversity programs.

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Feb. 6, 2023

Wealthy colleges should just admit more students, one of their biggest critics says

In the second of a two-part conversation, Evan Mandery dives into specific reforms he thinks would help higher education — at the top and elsewhere.

By Rick Seltzer • Feb. 3, 2023

State support for higher ed set to jump 6.6% in 2023 before inflation

Higher ed funding rose in 38 states, an annual early measure finds. Five-year trends are up, too. But inflation is likely taking a bite out of increases.

By Rick Seltzer • Feb. 2, 2023

Challenges at Virginia’s New College Institute show hurdles for workforce education

NCI has struggled to lock in leadership, employer partners and students who finish programs. Is this a one-off or a warning about the latest higher ed fads?

By Lilah Burke • Jan. 31, 2023

Hilbert College to acquire for-profit specializing in health programs

The small Franciscan institution cast the acquisition of Valley College as a way to boost transfer and efficiency.

By Natalie Schwartz • Jan. 25, 2023

New Jersey governor pushes financial responsibility package in wake of state college financial troubles

Gov. Phil Murphy is proposing new auditing requirements and additional oversight authority for the state’s secretary of education.

By Lilah Burke • Updated Jan. 21, 2023

Split outlook for strong vs. weak colleges in 2023, S&P finds

Some institutions can likely weather a recession due to big balance sheets and student demand, but mergers and closures will likely pick up for others.

By Rick Seltzer • Jan. 19, 2023

Presentation College in South Dakota plans to close

The Catholic college's enrollment fell sharply in recent years. Leaders decided teach-outs are the "most responsible way" to help students get degrees.

By Rick Seltzer • Jan. 18, 2023

Bay State College’s accreditation revoked amid accusations of mismanagement

The for-profit institution has long been under scrutiny, with some students fearing a sudden closure. That now appears imminent.

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Jan. 18, 2023

Smarter benchmarking helps colleges thrive

Comparing your college to others with the help of the right metrics can help meet stakeholders’ needs, writes the director of research at HelioCampus.

By Ranjani Kirtane • Jan. 16, 2023

2U makes moves to push back loan due date and save on annual interest payments

The company’s ability to refinance debt suggests lenders view it as healthy despite tough economic conditions, one ed tech expert said.

By Natalie Schwartz • Jan. 12, 2023

California budget proposal cuts 2% from higher ed on the backs of capital projects

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2023-24 plan would, however, fulfill promised 5% base increases for the UC and Cal State systems.

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Jan. 11, 2023

CFOs optimistic about their own colleges’ finances, survey says

Almost 9 in 10 financial officers predicted financial stability for their colleges, an uptick software vendor Syntellis called "optimism against the odds."

By Rick Seltzer • Jan. 10, 2023

Here are the top risks college leaders are worried about this year

Recruitment and hiring vaulted into a top slot in an annual survey of risks concerning college leaders that's conducted by insurer United Educators.

By Rick Seltzer • Jan. 6, 2023

Regional public universities educate nearly 5M students, according to new list

The Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges put together a list of 474 institutions that it says are important for low-income, Black and rural students.

By Rick Seltzer • Dec. 30, 2022

Rising debt levels could hurt graduate programs’ ROI, report finds

Earnings have held steady, but median debt for borrowers with master’s degrees nearly doubled in under two decades, the Urban Institute found.

By Natalie Schwartz • Dec. 22, 2022

What the UC strike meant to the academic workers who walked the picket lines

Before a recent agreement, strikers spoke of hope for relief from crushing living costs and a growing sense of connection to others in their shoes.

By James Anderson • Dec. 22, 2022

California Catholic university to close in May after failing to find merger partner

Holy Names University is saddled by years of deficits, falling enrollment and debt. The pandemic and economy worsened its standing, leaders say.

By Rick Seltzer • Dec. 20, 2022

Birmingham-Southern College needs $37.5M in government money to stay open, officials say

The private Alabama liberal arts institution is requesting public funding to give it “breathing room to operate.”

By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • Dec. 20, 2022

How can colleges adapt their financial aid offices for prison education programs?

A ban on Pell Grants for people in prison is ending. Replicating standard practices won’t work for incarcerated students, a new NASFAA report says.

By Laura Spitalniak • Dec. 20, 2022

University of Redlands scoops up graduate school to add to San Francisco-area campus

The acquisition comes because Presidio Graduate School sought a merger partner after deciding it would need one or face closure.

By Rick Seltzer • Dec. 16, 2022

Colleges’ expenses rose 5.2% in FY22, the biggest increase since 2001

But higher education still experienced less significant inflation than the U.S. as a whole, according to new data.

By Laura Spitalniak • Dec. 15, 2022

Colleges seek growth from grad programs. Will that market ever run dry?

A new EAB report raises questions about whether colleges can continue a decade-plus of nearly uninterrupted growth in graduate enrollment.

By Rick Seltzer • Dec. 13, 2022