HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

January 29, 2026

Higher Ed Dive covers key policy trends that could shape higher education in 2026… Inside Higher Ed’s Sara Custer highlights the value of partnerships between universities and immigrant communities and examines how recent federal immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis are testing them… NPR looks at how the Trump administration has pressured universities through lawsuits, settlements, and funding threats over the past year… Inside Higher Ed also reports that new state-level pauses on H-1B visas are raising alarms among faculty and higher education groups about risks to academic freedom and research capacity.

4 Policy Trends That Should Be on College Leaders’ Radars in 2026
Higher Ed Dive | Jan. 29, 2026

Minneapolis’s Community Bonds Are Being Tested
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 29, 2026

Trump Has Sued Universities for Billions. Here’s What the Strategy Tells Us
NPR | Jan. 29, 2026

State H-1B Visa Pauses Are ‘Reckless,’ Faculty Warn
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 29, 2026

January 28, 2026

Nicholas Kent, education under secretary, said the accreditation system was broken and called for considerable reforms, Inside Higher Ed reports... Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed public universities to freeze new H-1B applications, The Texas Tribune reports... Yale University announced that tuition would be waived for students from households earning less than $200,000 annually, The Wall Street Journal reports... Jeffrey Selingo highlights in The Chronicle of Higher Education the five trends that he thinks will shape higher education this year.

At CHEA, Kent Blames Accreditors for Higher Ed’s Woes
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 28, 2026

Gov. Abbott Orders Texas Universities, Agencies to Halt H-1B Visa Petitions
The Texas Tribune | Jan. 26, 2026

Yale Will Go Tuition-Free for Families Making Up to $200,000
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Jan. 27, 2026

The 5 Trends That Will Shape Higher Ed in 2026
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Jan. 27, 2026

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 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