Policy & Legal


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    Labor Department to take on day-to-day management of CTE programs

    Career and technical education is among the workforce development programs to be jointly administered with the U.S. Department of Education.

    By Roger Riddell • July 16, 2025
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    How Trump is deploying multiple agencies to set education policy

    ​​Rule changes for U.S. Department of Energy grants to colleges are primed to alter policies. Other federal agencies could be next.

    By Naaz Modan • July 14, 2025
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    Supreme Court green-lights Education Department layoffs

    The decision is a significant victory for the Trump administration as it seeks to close the department to the greatest extent possible.

    By Naaz Modan • Updated July 14, 2025
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    Moody’s: Trump’s tough international student policies could hit some colleges hard

    Visa processing slowdowns and travel bans could mean lost revenue, tighter margins and financial stress.

    By July 11, 2025
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    House panel pushes colleges to cut ties with Chinese scholarship program

    Seven institutions, including the University of Notre Dame and Dartmouth College, have until July 22 to comply with an extensive document request. 

    By July 10, 2025
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    Jeremy Bauer-Wolf/Higher Ed Dive
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    George Washington University hints at layoffs amid federal policy upheaval

    The private nonprofit is facing an “unsustainable compounding deficit” and uncertainty about research funding, top officials said in a community message.

    By July 9, 2025
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    ‘Strong evidence’ Harvard doesn’t meet accreditation standards, feds say

    The Trump administration on Wednesday directed the Ivy League institution's accreditor to review the university’s compliance and report back on the findings.

    By July 9, 2025
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    Will the next Supreme Court term close the transgender athletic debate?

    A pair of cases could establish precedent on whether transgender student athletes can compete on teams aligned with their gender identity.

    By Naaz Modan • July 9, 2025
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    Florida university system’s board to vote on creation of accrediting agency

    The Commission for Public Higher Education’s business plan reveals officials are aiming for the new agency to accredit colleges by June 2026.

    By July 9, 2025
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    The image by Wally Gobetz is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Boston University to lay off 120 staffers amid budget challenges

    The private institution faces federal funding uncertainty along with operational headaches such as rising costs.

    By July 8, 2025
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    Kayla Bartkowski / Staff via Getty Images
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    ‘One big mistake’: Higher ed sounds warning over GOP budget law

    From higher endowment taxes to student loan limits, colleges and students will face a dramatically new landscape with the passage of a new spending law.

    By July 7, 2025
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    Trump’s OCR steps up pace for dismissing complaints

    With newly limited staffing, the federal office charged with protecting students’ civil rights has increased its case dismissals — to the alarm of former employees.

    By Naaz Modan • July 7, 2025
  • 15 Florida colleges keep access to grant funding after House bid fails

    A proposal from the Florida House would have restricted private colleges' eligibility for the popular Effective Access to Student Education program.

    By July 7, 2025
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    Indiana public colleges to shed or consolidate over 400 degree programs

    The dramatic restructuring comes in response to a statute that aims to end programs that produce low numbers of graduates over a three-year period. 

    By July 2, 2025
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    What’s inside the Senate megabill for higher education?

    The chamber narrowly passed its version of the sweeping domestic policy package, which would reshape federal student lending. 

    By July 1, 2025
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    Opinion

    The Senate’s higher ed measures are a good start. Here’s what could improve them.

    The reconciliation bill could do more to hold college programs accountable for how much they charge, argues an official at Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy. 

    By Kelly McManus • July 1, 2025
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    HHS accuses Harvard of violating antidiscrimination law after antisemitism probe

    The latest salvo from the Trump administration threatens "the loss of all federal financial resources.”

    By July 1, 2025
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    Brown University preps for ‘significant cost-cutting’ amid federal funding disruption

    The Ivy League institution's top officials signaled possible staff reductions along with scaled back capital spending and other measures.

    By June 30, 2025
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    Stanford University expects layoffs in coming year

    The private nonprofit is cutting $140 million from its budget as it grapples with “significant budget consequences” from federal policy shifts.

    By June 27, 2025
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    DOJ sues Minnesota over in-state tuition for undocumented students

    The move follows similar lawsuits against Kentucky and Texas as the Trump administration targets laws that states have had on their books for years.

    By June 26, 2025
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    Key higher ed provisions in reconciliation bill violate Senate rules, official finds

    Expanding Pell Grants to short-term programs and consolidating student loan programs were among the proposals flagged by the chamber’s parliamentarian.

    By June 26, 2025
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    6 public university systems unveil plans to launch new accrediting agency

    In his announcement, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed the current system as an "accreditation cartel" and decried diversity standards at accreditors.

    By June 26, 2025
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    Federal judge orders OCR to reinstate laid-off employees — for now

    The reduction in force left the office "incapable of addressing the vast majority" of complaints, the ruling said.

    By Naaz Modan • June 26, 2025
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    The image by Jimmy Emerson is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
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    University of Connecticut eyes workforce cuts to manage funding shortfalls

    Faced with cuts to state and federal funding, leaders are clamping down on hiring and reviewing temporary positions, along with other austerity measures.

    By June 24, 2025
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    Judge strikes down National Science Foundation’s 15% funding cap for research overhead

    With the new ruling, efforts to cap research overhead reimbursement have now been blocked at four federal agencies. 

    By June 24, 2025