HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

March 12, 2026

The Trump administration is attempting to ban DEI programs by proposing a policy that would require all federal funding recipients to certify that they do not have such initiatives, Higher Ed Dive reports... A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration policy that requires higher education institutions to report an expanded set of admissions data, the Associated Press reports... A government watchdog found that the Office of Federal Student Aid abandoned oversight of loan servicers, NPR reports... Education Secretary Linda McMahon touts in The Washington Post the administration's efforts to overhaul the federal student loan and accountability systems... The Hechinger Report looks at the growth of three-year bachelors programs.

GSA Plan Would Ban DEI for All Federal Funding Recipients — Including Colleges
Higher Ed Dive | March 11, 2026

States Sue the Trump Administration to Challenge Policy Requiring Colleges to Collect Race Data
Associated Press | March 11, 2026

Key Oversight Helping Keep Student Loan Records Accurate Has Stopped, a Watchdog Says
NPR | March 11, 2026

Colleges Have an Obligation to Ensure Their Students Pay off Their Loans
The Washington Post | March 12, 2026

Faster, Thinner: Colleges Are Swiftly Trimming a B.A. Degree to Three Years
The Hechinger Report | March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026

The Atlantic reports on how higher education has defended its mission in the face of Trump administration’s attacks... Writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Phillip Levine details how his research shows that college prices have declined for most families over the last six years... Inside Higher Ed looks at how the Education Department has changed in the year since the Trump administration sharply cut its staff... A bipartisan report looks at how the federal government can work with education leaders and other stakeholders to develop a robust workforce amid the AI expansion.

Trump’s Assault on Higher Education Has Hit a Snag
The Atlantic (sub. req.) | March 10, 2026

Actually, College Is Getting Cheaper
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | March 10, 2026

Education Dept. Layoffs Leave Scars Behind the Scenes
Inside Higher Ed | March 11, 2026

The Bipartisan Appeal of Growing Talent Amid the AI Boom
Inside Higher Ed | March 11, 2026

March 10, 2026

Inside Higher Ed's Survey of College and University Presidents shows presidents are navigating a wide mix of challenges... New F-1 student visas awarded last summer declined 36 percent, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports... State policymakers have proposed bills to recognize and sustain Minority-Serving Institutions after the Education Department cut their funding, Inside Higher Ed reports... Sherry Kollmann, chancellor of the New Mexico State University Global Campus, will be Vermont State University's next president.

Presidents Pressured in Trump’s Second Term
Inside Higher Ed | March 10, 2026

The Drop in International Students Last Year Was Worse Than We Thought
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | March 7, 2026

State Lawmakers Step In to Support Minority-Serving Institutions
Inside Higher Ed | March 9, 2026

New Vermont State University president appointed
VTDigger | March 9, 2026

March 9, 2026

The Education Department is offering a three-week extension with conditions for institutions to meet its new admissions data reporting requirements, Inside Higher Ed reports... The Education Department released its proposed Workforce Pell regulations... President Trump said he would issue an executive order to reshape college athletics... The Hechinger Report covers how some Trump administration officials are working to rebuild the Institute of Education Sciences, which faced severe cuts last year.

ED Offers Deadline Extension on Admissions Survey, With Some Conditions
Inside Higher Ed | March 9, 2026

U.S. Accepting Public Comments on Proposed Workforce Pell Rule
Inside Higher Ed | March 9, 2026

Trump Vows to Write Executive Order to Reshape College Sports
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | March 7, 2026

DOGE Tore Down the Education Department’s Research and Statistical Agency. Now Some in the Trump Administration Are Pushing to Rebuild It
The Hechinger Report | March 9, 2026

March 6, 2026

The Trump administration's overhaul of the federal student loan system could limit access to low-income students and push students into riskier private loans and more debt, Politico reports... The Associated Press and Inside Higher Ed report on the Defense Department's severing of ties with some colleges and universities... Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), chair of the House subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, will not seek reelection... GBH's College Uncovered podcast highlights how institutions are working to reengage stopped-out learners.

Why Trump’s Student Loan Revamp Might Lead to More College Debt
Politico | March 5, 2026

Pentagon’s Break with Ivy League Leaves Colleges Bracing for Further Changes to Military Programs
Associated Press | March 6, 2026

Hegseth Is Waging War on University Partnerships. His Targets Are Unclear.
Inside Higher Ed | March 6, 2026

Utah Republican Burgess Owens Announces Retirement from Congress after Redistricting Shakeup
Associated Press | March 4, 2026

Reengaging “Stop-Out” Learners
WGBH | March 3, 2026