College enrollment rate among recent high school graduates ticks up

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found improvement across both high- and low-poverty high schools.

By Laura Spitalniak • Sept. 17, 2026

4-year visa cap for international students halted by federal judge

U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor paused the highly contested rule just a day before it would have taken effect.

By Laura Spitalniak • Sept. 15, 2026

Explore the 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

How Dartmouth’s push for more dialogue improved campus debate and its reputation

Efforts by the Ivy League institution to foster open conversations have helped raise its score with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

By Danielle McLean • Updated Sept. 15, 2026

‘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

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 Ben Unglesbee • Sept. 8, 2026

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 Laura Spitalniak • Sept. 4, 2026

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

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

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 Laura Spitalniak • Aug. 31, 2026

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 Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 28, 2026

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 Laura Spitalniak • Aug. 27, 2026

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 Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 25, 2026

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 Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 24, 2026

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 Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 21, 2026

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 Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 18, 2026

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

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 Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 14, 2026

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 Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 13, 2026

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 Laura Spitalniak • Aug. 12, 2026

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 Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 12, 2026

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

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 Natalie Schwartz • Aug. 5, 2026

$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 Natalie Schwartz • July 31, 2026

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 Natalie Schwartz • July 28, 2026

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