HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

December 11, 2025

The Los Angeles Times looks at the myriad and intensified challenges undocumented students are facing under the Trump administration... The Department of Education issued a request for information on accreditation, Inside Higher Ed reports... The vast majority of employers believe colleges and universities are adequately preparing students for the workforce, according to a new report... AI and the politicization of higher education are the two most consequential trends shaping the sector since 2000, according to 50 higher education leaders surveyed by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

DACA Was Once a Lifeline for Undocumented Youth. It’s Leaving the Next Generation Behind
Los Anageles Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 11, 2025

ED Seeks Public Comment on Accreditation Reform
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 11, 2025

Most Employers Confident in Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 11, 2025

The Quarter-Century Project
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Dec. 10, 2025

December 10, 2025

Canada is expanding efforts to recruit international researchers amid concerns that U.S. research and immigration cuts are weakening the country’s global competitiveness, The New York Times reports... The Trump administration reached a settlement that would formally end the Biden-era SAVE student loan repayment plan, forcing millions of borrowers to shift to another repayment option, The Washington Post reports... Talks on how to expand the Pell Grant to short-term workforce training programs are progressing with no critical areas of disagreement emerging midway through this week's rulemaking panel, Inside Higher Ed reports... NPR covers why a record number of students are applying for financial aid this year.

‘Come North!’ Canada Makes Play for H-1B Visa Holders With New Talent Drive
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 9, 2025

Trump Administration Strikes Deal to End Biden’s Student Loan Repayment Plan
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Dec. 9, 2025

What to Know About Workforce Pell Talks
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 10, 2025

Why a Record Number of Students Applied for Federal Financial Aid This Year
NPR | Dec. 10, 2025

December 9, 2025

An Inside Higher Ed report examines perspectives on higher education policies included in the One Big Beautiful Bill... Eric Holcomb, former Indiana governor, details in The Washington Post the open-minded, problem-solving community he experienced while teaching at Harvard... The Education Department said it will notify students if they are considering colleges where graduates earn less than high school graduates four years after completion, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education... The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warned the Pell Grant will face a shortfall of at least $61 billion over the next 10 years, Inside Higher Ed reports... Some Maryland universities are facing declining enrollment of international students due to the federal immigration crackdown, reports the Capital News Service.

New Deep Dive: Making OBBBA Implementation Work for Students
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 9, 2025

I Was a Red State Governor. What I Saw at Harvard Surprised Me.
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Dec. 8, 2025

Nearly One-Fourth of Colleges Will Come With a Warning When Students Apply for Financial Aid
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Dec. 9, 2025

Budgetary Watchdog Warns Pell Grant Still Projected to Face Shortfall
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 9, 2025

New Student Loan Rule Could Dissuade People from Advanced Nursing Degrees
Capital News Service | Dec. 9, 2025

December 8, 2025

Inside Higher Ed previews this week's negotiated rulemaking panel that will consider regulations to expand the Pell Grant to workforce training programs... Seven college presidents and chancellors spoke at The New York Times' DealBook Summit about challenges facing colleges and universities... The Fort Worth Star-Telegram looks at the surge of first-generation students applying to college in Texas... The University of Kansas is expanding its credential program for students with disabilities.

Education Dept. Wants to Begin and End Workforce Pell This Week
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 8, 2025

The Education of Higher Education
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 7, 2025

First-Generation College Applications Are Surging in Texas. Here’s Why.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram | Dec. 6, 2025

Kansas Scales Credential Program for Students With Disabilities
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 8, 2025

December 5, 2025

Inside Higher Ed previews the Education Department's upcoming negotiated rulemaking session focused on accountability regulations... The Education Department’s move to exclude education from being considered a professional degree could disrupt the pipeline for future K–12 teachers and leaders, Higher Ed Dive reports, and a CentralMaine.com op-ed argues that blocking education and healthcare programs from qualifying as professional degrees risks significant harm to communities nationwide... Federal grant terminations have impacted research projects across Maine, the Portland Press Herald reports... The Minnesota Star-Tribune and Syracuse.com each cover how local institutions are grappling with steep declines in international enrollment.

Fate of Accountability for Undergraduate Certificates Likely to Loom Over ED Talks
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 5, 2025

What Would Education’s Omission as a ‘Professional Degree’ Mean?
Higher Ed Dive | Dec. 5, 2025

​


News RoomACE In the News

 

Explore More

ACE Op-Eds

Letters to the Editor

Higher Education News Links