How accreditors are navigating a new, anxious environment under Trump

Officials from the Council for Higher Education Accreditation unpacked the current higher ed landscape, including attacks on diversity initiatives.

By Ben Unglesbee • May 29, 2025

Trump administration moves to end Harvard University’s remaining federal contracts

Since mid-April, the federal government has cut off roughly $2.8 billion in multi-year grants and contracts to the Ivy League institution.

By Laura Spitalniak • May 28, 2025

What’s the latest in Harvard University’s battle with the Trump administration?

A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump’s proclamation seeking to bar international students heading to Harvard from entering the U.S.

By Laura Spitalniak • Updated June 6, 2025

How will Trump’s tariff policies impact college students?

Higher prices on essential items like computers, food and transportation could harm low-income students and jeopardize their academic track, experts say. 

By Danielle McLean • May 27, 2025

Legal defense fund will seek to fill gap left by OCR reduction

Set to launch in the fall, the fund backed by National Center for Youth Law aims to defend students’ rights in court and track civil rights data.

By Naaz Modan • May 27, 2025

Trump administration revokes Harvard’s ability to enroll international students

Thousands of foreign students attending Harvard must now "transfer or lose their legal status," according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

By Laura Spitalniak • May 22, 2025

‘A shell of itself’: Federal judge pauses efforts to wind down Education Department

Higher education advocates praised the ruling, while the agency promised to immediately challenge the preliminary injunction.

By Kara Arundel • May 22, 2025

The reconciliation bill cleared the House. Here’s how it would change higher ed.

Critics worry that the spending package, now headed to the Senate, would have a “historic and negative impact” on college access.

By Ben Unglesbee • May 22, 2025

Data breach reporting lags in education, study finds

The sector reportedly takes an average of 4.8 months to report attacks — higher than for business, government and healthcare.

By Anna Merod • May 22, 2025

McMahon defends $12B proposed cut to the Education Department

During a budget hearing, some Republicans indicated support for dismantling the agency, while Democrats panned the proposed cuts.

By Natalie Schwartz • May 21, 2025

House probe alleges Harvard University has research ties to ‘foreign adversaries’

The inquiry is part of an onslaught of investigations and financial penalties the  institution is facing after it rebuked the Trump administration’s demands. 

By Natalie Schwartz • May 20, 2025

Maryland regents allow furloughs and salary cuts for public universities

The state’s higher education system is facing big funding shortfalls at both the state and federal levels.

By Ben Unglesbee • May 20, 2025

Colleges could be targeted anew under fraud law, DOJ says

The agency created a civil rights initiative to seek out violations of the False Claims Act, which could include diversity initiatives.

By Ben Unglesbee • May 20, 2025

Education Department walks back $37.7M fine against Grand Canyon University

Brian Mueller, the university’s president, said the ruling supports that the large Christian institution was “wrongly accused” of misleading doctoral students. 

By Natalie Schwartz • May 20, 2025

Federal judge blocks Energy Department’s 15% cap on indirect research costs

Colleges and higher education groups suing the agency are likely to prove the policy violates federal law, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled.

By Laura Spitalniak • May 19, 2025

Harvard University devotes $250M to sustain research hit by federal cuts

The institution’s leaders said they have received multiple grant terminations since the Trump administration froze over $2.2 billion of its federal funding.

By Laura Spitalniak • May 16, 2025

Education Department retracts CTE grants for Native American and Hawaiian students

The agency said the nearly $21.6 million grant competitions do not “align with the objectives established by the Trump Administration.”

By Naaz Modan • May 15, 2025

House panel advances bill to raise college endowment tax up to 21%

Republicans proposed a tiered system on wealthy private institutions’ investment income, though experts say higher rates could harm student aid.

By Natalie Schwartz • May 14, 2025

State and local funding for public colleges up 18% from pre-pandemic levels, SHEEO says

States could face hard budgetary decisions ahead as federal stimulus funding runs dry, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association said.

By Ben Unglesbee • May 14, 2025

Denver Public Schools gets the OK to award associate degrees

Set to launch in 2026, programs offered through the district’s technical college would provide a higher credential for registered apprentices.

By Briana Mendez-Padilla • May 13, 2025

Trump administration nixes another $450M of Harvard University’s grants

The federal government escalated attacks against the Ivy League institution, calling it a “breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination.” 

By Natalie Schwartz • May 13, 2025

How could cuts to the Education Department impact HBCUs?

Downsizing or shuttering the agency may harm the “long-term sustainability” of some historically Black colleges and universities, one expert said. 

By Danielle McLean • Updated May 13, 2025

Judge greenlights racketeering lawsuit against Grand Canyon Education

Plaintiffs say the educational services provider misrepresented program costs, but the company says students couldn't have been "caught by surprise."

By Ben Unglesbee • May 12, 2025

New York’s adult learners can now attend community college for free

The Opportunity Promise Scholarship covers the costs of tuition and books for state residents between ages 25 to 55 who are pursuing in-demand degrees.

By Laura Spitalniak • May 12, 2025

56% of adults disapprove of Trump’s approach to colleges, AP-NORC poll finds

Half of Republicans supported withholding federal funding unless colleges comply with the president’s policies. But 73% of Democrats opposed the tactic.

By Laura Spitalniak • May 9, 2025