Federal judge declines to restore $1B in grants cut by NSF

The lawsuit over the agency’s mass grant terminations will proceed, but plaintiffs will have to seek monetary relief in another court. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 11, 2025

University of Oregon laying off around 60 employees

Overall, the university has let go of almost 120 employees and eliminated 59 vacant jobs this year.

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 9, 2025

Education Department seeks to offer ‘proactive’ federal student loan guidance

The agency is revamping the Office of the Ombudsman to increase financial literacy and share the risks and benefits of student loans to potential borrowers.

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 8, 2025

Cost-smart campuses: Building financial resilience through strategic buying

How smarter procurement helps campuses save, streamline and strengthen resilience.

Sept. 8, 2025

East Carolina University eyes $25M in cuts

The three-year savings goal would be met through permanent cuts, academic program changes and operational restructuring, the public institution said.

By Ben Unglesbee • Updated Sept. 9, 2025

University of California would need $5B if it lost federal funding, leader says

The public university system’s president warned of a “distinct possibility” that the Trump administration would take further action against it.

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 5, 2025

University of Chicago braces for job cuts amid effort to shed $100M in costs

The private institution is taking dramatic steps like pausing doctoral enrollment for several programs as it faces rising expenses and federal policy shifts. 

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 2, 2025

Catholic University’s president on balancing budget cuts with growth

The institution laid off 7% of its staff this year, but leaders first raised money for separation packages and a plan for future growth.

By Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 2, 2025

Albright College declares ‘remarkable’ turnaround as it borrows $15M from endowment

The private institution said it’s on track for a $10 million budget surplus after recent cuts and cash concerns.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 27, 2025

Cornell University plans to restructure later this year amid federal funding declines

The Ivy League institution's leaders said efforts to save costs and centralize operations will “inevitably” lead to workforce reductions.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 25, 2025

‘Wrong and deeply disappointing’: Supreme Court halts order restoring NIH grants

The high court’s decision potentially made it much more difficult for researchers to have their grants reinstated.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 22, 2025

UCLA consolidates IT, pauses faculty hiring as Trump administration seeks $1B payment

The public institution is one of several facing cuts to federal research funding over allegations related to antisemitism.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 21, 2025

Utah State University to face state audit amid concerns about former leader’s spending

An initial review raised concerns about the public institution’s “governance, leadership, and culture of policy noncompliance.”

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 20, 2025

University of Iowa launches ‘proactive’ committee to hunt for revenue and boost efficiency

Officials said they're launching the initiative, dubbed Resparc, “from a position of financial health” as the higher ed sector faces choppy waters.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 19, 2025

Judge orders NSF to restore cut funding to UCLA

A federal court found that the agency violated a previous order to reinstate research grants terminated by the Trump administration.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 13, 2025

University of Nebraska System offers buyouts to tenured faculty amid budget woes

The offer comes after leaders of the four-campus network said they were looking to trim $20 million from its budget. 

By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 12, 2025

As higher ed ramps up modular construction, easier maintenance could follow

Standardization and factory-like quality control processes could lead to fewer problems once buildings are in service, a general contractor executive says.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 11, 2025

$584M on the line as University of California agrees to negotiate with Trump administration

James Milliken, president of the university system, pushed back on the federal funding cuts at UCLA, saying they do “nothing to address antisemitism.”

By Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 8, 2025

Week in review: Trump administration policies hit colleges’ pocketbooks

We’re rounding up last week’s stories, from the federal government’s new probes and deals to the impact of policy shifts on the higher education sector.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 4, 2025

150K fewer international students this fall? That’s what one analysis predicts.

A sharp drop in foreign enrollment could cost colleges $7 billion in revenue and 60,000 jobs, according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

By Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 1, 2025

‘Everything, everywhere, all at once’: How Trump has upended higher ed finance in 2025

Experts at the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ annual conference broke down the wave of policy changes the sector is facing.

By Ben Unglesbee • July 31, 2025

Northwestern University cuts 425 jobs in face of federal funding pressure

The private institution is laying off staff and axing vacant roles in a time that is “among most difficult in our institution’s 174-year history,” senior leaders said.

By Ben Unglesbee • July 30, 2025

How Cal State is betting on shared services amid funding cuts

Campuses are increasingly collaborating on backend services to save costs and become nimbler in a tough financial environment.

By Ben Unglesbee • July 28, 2025

Temple University to lay off 50 employees

The public institution is cutting 190 positions in an effort to slash its $60 million deficit in half.

By Ben Unglesbee • July 21, 2025

Trump 2.0 brings layoffs and budget cuts at 8 major colleges

With uncertainty around research funding, international students and financial aid, institutions are shrinking budgets as they try to weather financial turmoil.

By Ben Unglesbee • July 17, 2025