Students

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    Deep Dive

    ‘Utter paralysis’: Legacy admissions ban faces tough road in Congress

    The fate of bipartisan bills is in doubt at the congressional level, while state-level proposals have stalled in the legislatures. 

    By Danielle McLean • Sept. 9, 2026
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    Humanities degrees hit their lowest numbers in decades

    Last year, colleges awarded fewer bachelor's degrees in the humanities than any time since 1991, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences found.

    By • Sept. 8, 2026
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    Trendline

    Student Success

    Explore how universities are working to boost student outcomes by integrating remedial education, providing mental health tools and making education more accessible. 

    By Higher Ed Dive staff
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    Retrieved from The Florida Channel on September 04, 2026
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    Florida bans undocumented students from selective public universities

    By approving the policy Thursday, the State University System of Florida’s board effectively shut undocumented students out of its 12 institutions.

    By • Sept. 4, 2026
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    High schoolers say school counselors emphasize college pathways, not CTE

    Among survyed middle-income high school students, 66% said educators heavily emphasized four-year college when talking about future pathways.

    By Naaz Modan • Sept. 4, 2026
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    Tennessee’s free community college program ‘pays for itself,’ working paper finds

    The Tennessee Promise program — the first of its kind in the country — successfully boosted college enrollment and attainment, analysis showed.

    By Jamaal Abdul-Alim • Sept. 1, 2026
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    Judge rules Trump policies deporting foreign students based on speech unconstitutional

    “In the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people,” U.S. District Judge Noël Wise said in her decision. “It is not the government’s to take.”

    By • Aug. 31, 2026
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    Texas governor pushes for 3-year degree pathways

    Greg Abbott directed the state’s higher education board to convene a working group to provide recommendations on accelerated programs by year’s end.

    By • Aug. 28, 2026
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    20 Michigan colleges join new direct admissions program

    Through MI College Match, students will be able to get automatic acceptance offers by uploading their transcripts to a free online portal.

    By • Aug. 27, 2026
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    Cornell, MIT and others can appeal class action status in antitrust case

    Former students accused the colleges of colluding to fix tuition prices and lower financial aid offers.

    By • Aug. 25, 2026
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    International applicant numbers tumble on Common App

    The number of first-time international applicants on the popular application platform declined 10% in the 2025-26 cycle, a new report found. 

    By • Aug. 24, 2026
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    University of Houston slashes 40% of courses from its core curriculum

    The Texas institution cut about 100 classes, including in women’s and LGBT studies, to comply with a state law mandating general education reviews.

    By • Aug. 21, 2026
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    Coalition sues Trump administration over 4-year student visa cap

    Plaintiffs argued that the new rule would be “catastrophic” for universities and international students, and have asked a federal judge to block it.

    By • Aug. 18, 2026
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    Sponsored by Ellucian

    Beyond the degree: How students are defining value in 2026

    New research reveals how student expectations are shifting and how institutions can keep pace.  

    Aug. 17, 2026
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    UT Austin plans massive overhaul to core curriculum

    A task force called for making the university's general education more narrow and focused on topics such as Western civilization and broad U.S. history.

    By • Aug. 14, 2026
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    What do college students think of their institutional leaders?

    Students at top-ranked colleges were less likely than others to say campus leaders mostly act in their interests, per a Gallup and Lumina Foundation poll.

    By • Aug. 13, 2026
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    Columbia faces discrimination lawsuit from Palestinian employees and students

    Plaintiffs allege the Ivy League institution instead "actively participated in and amplified" racial and political targeting of its campus members.

    By • Aug. 12, 2026
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    College costs for families up 10% from last year, poll finds

    Tuition, fees, housing and other costs averaged $34,019 in the 2025-26 academic year, per a new Sallie Mae and Ipsos report.

    By • Aug. 12, 2026
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    Deep Dive

    Elite colleges are returning to the SAT and ACT. Will others follow?

    Top-ranked colleges and the Trump administration are embracing the exams, but that doesn’t mean test-optional policies are falling out of favor everywhere. 

    By David Weisenfeld • Aug. 10, 2026
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    Fitch: New visa limits could hurt international enrollment and revenue

    Financial pressure will be greatest on institutions with weaker student demand and greater reliance on tuition and fee revenue, analysts wrote.

    By • Aug. 5, 2026
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    $47M NSF pilot to arm Ph.D. students with private industry experience

    Under the initiative, companies will provide funding so students can conduct dissertation research at their sites for at least a year.

    By • July 31, 2026
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    Court blocks in-state tuition for undocumented students in Illinois

    The ruling marks another victory for the U.S. Department of Justice, which has sued more than a dozen states over similar policies. 

    By • July 28, 2026
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    New grads have to compete with AI for entry-level roles, hiring managers say

    Nearly half of those polled said they would rather invest in AI tools than hire and train a recent college graduate. 

    By Lara Ewen • July 28, 2026
  • A student sits on the lawn of the University of Texas at Austin's campus with buildings in the background.
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    Texas public colleges can consider CLT in admissions, state official says

    Institutions can immediately consider Classic Learning Test scores for certain applicants as the state higher education board looks to revise its policies. 

    By • July 28, 2026
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    Education Department rescinds disparate impact regulations

    Civil rights advocates say students of color will be harmed by the removal of the tool used to investigate racial discrimination.

    By Anna Merod • July 24, 2026
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    House education committee advances bill to define sex as ‘biological’

    The Republican-led Title IX Clarification Act would narrow the definition under the sex-based anti-discrimination law, codifying a recent Supreme Court ruling.

    By Anna Merod • July 23, 2026