HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

January 27, 2026

The Department of Education will convene a rulemaking panel to overhaul accreditation regulations, Inside Higher Ed reports... Inside Higher Ed also examines how colleges and universities in Minneapolis have been affected by the ongoing DHS operations and related demonstrations... Higher Ed Dive looks at a series of lawsuits that could have major implications for higher education... A new study finds that universities receive fewer federal funds than private industry contractors and federal laboratories to cover indirect research costs.

ED Eyes Rewrite of Accreditation Rules
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 27, 2026

Remote Class and Escorts: Twin Cities Universities Respond to ICE, CBP, Protests
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 27, 2026

5 Higher Ed Lawsuits to Watch in 2026
Higher Ed Dive | Jan. 27, 2026

How Indirect Rate Costs Differ Between Academia and Industry
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 27, 2026

January 26, 2026

The Education Department will no longer require the owners of private colleges to take on personal liability to access federal funds, Inside Higher Ed reports... Columbia University has chosen Jennifer Mnookin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as its next president... Florida is considering a policy barring public universities from hiring any new employees through the H-1B visa program, Higher Ed Dive reports.

Education Dept. Rolls Back Key Accountability Measure for Corporate College Owners
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 26, 2026

Columbia Selects University of Wisconsin Chancellor as Its President
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Jan. 25, 2026

Florida Proposal Seeks 1-Year Pause on H-1B Hires at Public Universities
Higher Ed Dive | Jan. 22, 2026

January 23, 2026

The House passed a funding package that rejected steep education cuts proposed by the Trump administration... The turmoil the Trump administration unleashed on higher education has caused critical financial impacts on colleges and universities, Inside Higher Ed reports... Nearly 70 percent of researchers in North America said research funding is declining, a significantly higher rate than other continents, according to a new survey... Colleges and universities are prepping for a large winter storm, with some institutions in Maryland and Georgia announcing preemptive closures.

House Approves DHS Funding, Other Final Spending Bills amid ICE Uproar
Politico | Jan. 22, 2026

Universities Count the Cost, One Year Into Trump’s Second Term
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 23, 2026

More than Half of Authors of Leading Research Say Funding Is Declining
Nature | Jan. 21, 2026

Some Maryland Schools Announce Monday, Jan. 26 Closures Ahead of Snowstorm
CBS News Baltimore | Jan. 22, 2026

Metro Atlanta Colleges and Schools Canceling Activities Ahead of Storm
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (sub. req.) | Jan. 22, 2026

January 22, 2026

The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked efforts to cut federal funding to colleges and universities over their DEI policies, the Associated Press reports... States are stepping up to create or expand graduate financial aid programs in response to steep federal cuts, The Washington Post reports... The Department of Education has been successful in advancing its policies through negotiated rulemaking, though some tactics used have raised concern, Inside Higher Ed reports... The PIE looks at how the Trump administration upended U.S. international education over the past year...

Trump Administration Drops Legal Appeal over Anti-DEI Funding Threat to Schools and Colleges
Associated Press | Jan. 21, 2026

States Eye Expansion in Graduate Student Loans as Feds Retreat
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Jan. 22, 2026

High-Stakes Policy Talks Shed Light on ED’s Playbook
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 22, 2026

Trump 2.0: A Year of Disruption for Us International Education
The PIE | Jan. 21, 2026

January 21, 2026

Higher Ed Dive and The Chronicle of Higher Education cover ACE's latest Pulse Point survey of senior higher education leaders... House and Senate lawmakers have jointly proposed legislation that would generally maintain the Education Department’s funding levels and slightly increase NIH funding, Inside Higher Ed reports... The New York Times reports on the Trump administration's unprecedented crackdown of American higher education, and WBRU looks at how higher education has changed during the first year of Trump's second term... Inside Higher Ed looks at how new federal ADA regulations could impact students and institutions.

College Presidents Can’t Escape Trump
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Jan. 20, 2026

Federal Policy Uncertainty Is Disrupting Planning, College Leaders Say
Higher Ed Dive | Jan. 21, 2026

Again Defying Trump, Congress Proposes Increasing NIH Budget, Maintaining ED
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 21, 2026

Investigations and a Billion-Dollar ‘Shakedown’: How Trump Targeted Higher Education
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Jan. 21, 2026

How Trump’s Second Term Has Changed Higher Education
WBRU | Jan. 20, 2026

Higher Ed Prepares for New Era of Accessibility
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 21, 2026