HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

December 17, 2025

A meeting of the federal advisory committee that oversees college accreditors, now staffed with some new Trump appointees, featured fiery rhetoric toward accreditors and scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, Inside Higher Ed reports... The Trump administration expanded travel restrictions to include 20 additional countries... A group of 20 states filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's $100,000 H-1B visa fee, adding to at least two other legal challenges, Higher Ed Dive reports... Inside Higher Ed looks at how federal research agencies are alerting their grant review processes... STAT reports on a growing exodus of U.S. scientists as Trump administration policies fuel uncertainty around research...

“Buckle Up”: Trump Official Pledges to Fix Accreditation
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 17, 2025

Trump Expands Travel Ban and Restrictions to 20 More Countries
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 16, 2025

State AGs Launch Third Lawsuit Seeking to Stop Trump’s H-1B Fee
Higher Ed Dive | Dec. 16, 2025

NSF Lowers Grant Review Requirements, NIH Hunts for Phrases
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 17, 2025

Amid Talk of a Brain Drain, Some Scientists Leave U.S. Behind
STAT | Dec. 17, 2025

December 16, 2025

The Chronicle of Higher Education looks at the Trump administration's efforts to reshape college accreditation...The Department of Education launched a $15 million grant program to promote the development of systems that track credentials, employment records, and skills of students and graduates, Inside Higher Ed reports... Nine in 10 international students reported being fearful about their student visa status, according to a new survey... Alexander Mayer, MDRC's director of postsecondary education, writes in The Hechinger Report that workforce Pell could be highly beneficial for students so long as proper supports are implemented.

Trump’s Higher-Ed Policy Fight
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Dec. 15, 2025

Education Department Creates $15M Fund for Talent Marketplaces
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 16, 2025

Nine in 10 International Students Fear for U.S. Visa Status
The PIE | Dec. 15, 2025

Opinion: Workforce Pell Can Lead to Good Jobs for Students if They Get the Support Needed for Long-Term Success
The Hechinger Report | Dec. 16, 2025

December 15, 2025

The Brown University community is reeling in the aftermath of a mass shooting on campus, President Christina Paxson said... A negotiated rulemaking panel agreed on proposed regulations that would allow students to use Pell Grants at some short-term programs, Inside Higher Ed reports... A bipartisan coalition of over 100 lawmakers is calling on the Education Department to designate nursing as a professional degree, The Hill reports... Cuts to graduate federal financial aid have left universities working to figure out how to help students access graduate programs, Inside Higher Ed reports... An essay in The Conversation explores how the NIH became a cornerstone of U.S. research and the risks of slashing its funding.

Shooter in Brown University Mass Shooting Still on the Run as Authorities Release Detained Perso
The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | Dec. 15, 2025

Consensus Reached on Workforce Pell, Earnings Test Looms
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 15, 2025

Bipartisan Lawmakers Press Education Department to Add Nursing to ‘Professional’ Degree List

The Hill | Dec. 15, 2025

Grad Programs Brace for Loan Caps
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 15, 2025

How the NIH Became the Backbone of American Medical Research and a Major Driver of Innovation and Economic Growth
The Conversation | Dec. 15, 2025

December 12, 2025

Several college presidents spoke with ABC News about challenges facing higher education and the future of the sector... Republicans on a House education committee advanced two bills aimed at improving financial aid transparency, Inside Higher Ed reports... Jabari Simama, former president of Georgia Piedmont Technical College, details in Governing the harm federal cuts will have on students attending community colleges and Minority-Serving Institutions.... Willamette University and Pacific University announced plans to merge... After 38 years of service, Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. will step down in 2027, Al.com reports.

University Presidents Reflect on Academic Freedom amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Higher Education
ABC News | Dec. 11, 2025

House Ed Committee Advances Financial Aid Transparency Bills
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 12, 2025

The Shortchanging of Vital Institutions of Higher Ed
Governing | Dec. 12, 2025

Willamette, Pacific Universities Announce Plan to Merge
Oregon Public Radio | Dec. 11, 2025

Alabama College President, Longest-Serving in Us, to Step Down
AL.com | Dec. 11, 2025

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

News RoomACE In the News

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ACE Op-Eds

Trump’s ‘Compact’ Is Bad for Colleges – And Bad for America
U.S. News | Oct. 20, 2025
Americans Need to Work Together to Fix Education. We’ve Both Done It Before on Opposite Sides
Fox News | July 9, 2025
Here’s Why We Cannot Permit America’s Partnership With Higher Education to Weaken or Dissolve
The Hechinger Report | March 18, 2025
The Only Certainty Is Uncertainty
Inside Higher Ed | July 2, 2024
Protect, Teach, Enforce
Inside Higher Ed | June 25, 2024
AI Can Transform the Classroom Just Like the Calculator
Scientific American | April 17, 2024
There’s a Temporary Fix to the FAFSA Mess — All Colleges Must Extend Decision Deadlines
The Hechinger Report | March 26, 2024
Answering the Call
Inside Higher Ed | March 19, 2024
Every FAFSA Delay Puts College Further Out of Reach
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Feb. 8, 2024
Don’t Dash Opportunity for America’s College Students
The Hill | Aug. 16, 2023
‘Fire the Accreditors’ Is a Bad—and Illegal—Idea
Inside Higher Ed | June 28, 2023
This Is How To Keep Academic Freedom Alive in America
Newsweek | March 23, 2023
Why U.S. News May Have to Rethink How It Creates College Rankings
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Sept. 14, 2022
Canceling Student Loan Debt Is Just the Start
The Hill | July 1, 2022
Want to Reduce Hunger Among College Students? Stop Taxing Their Pell Grants
The Hill | Feb. 10, 2022
Doubling the Pell Grant Invests in America's Future
The Hill | Sept. 3, 2021
Making Equity Everyone’s Work
Diverse: Issues In Higher Education | March 31, 2021
Dropping the Ball
Inside Higher Ed | March 4, 2021
The Quickest And Most Effective Way Biden Can Help Millions of Americans Go to College
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Jan. 30, 2021
Liberal, Conservative or Somewhere in the Middle?
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 19, 2020
Should Congress Provide Additional Pandemic Relief for Colleges and Universities?
CQ Researcher | Sept. 11, 2020
The Biggest Danger to U.S. Higher Education? Losing 20 Years’ Worth of Gains in Access for First-generation and Minority Students
The Hechinger Report | Aug. 11, 2020
Our Country's Future Education Depends on Actions Congress Takes
The Hill | July 20, 2020
Why Trump’s Move to Force International Students to Take In-person Classes This Fall Is Being Blasted as Harmful
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 8, 2020
Supreme Court Has Ruled on DACA, Now It's Time for Congress to Act
The Hill | June 20, 2020
College Closings, Economic Upheaval Make a Case for Blockchain Adoption
Education Dive | June 18, 2020
Are Campus Leaders Prepared for the Impact of the Racial Crisis?
Inside Higher Ed | June 15, 2020
College in a Pandemic is Tough Enough — Without Reliable Broadband Access, It’s Nearly Impossible
The Hechinger Report | June 9, 2020
How College Students Can Help Reopen America
Inside Higher Ed | May 18, 2020
A Call for Ideas to Help Student Parents Succeed During and After COVID-19
Education Dive | May 6, 2020
The Courage of Medical Students
Inside Higher Ed | April 20, 2020
University Research is Key to COVID-19 Breakthroughs, Serving the Public Good
The Hill | March 23, 2020
Safeguarding Research on Campuses Against Foreign Threats
Inside Higher Ed | March 9, 2020
In Appreciation of a Public Servant
Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 9, 2019
Mental Health Challenges Require Urgent Response
Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 29, 2019
Guns on America's Campuses: Let the Colleges Decide
The Hill | Sept. 9, 2019
The Invisible China Threat: University Intellectual Property
The Hill | July 30, 2019
Ending the Stigma for College Students With Learning Disabilities
The Hechinger Report | July 16, 2019
Providing Prisoners With Expanded Access to Higher Education Is the Smart Thing to Do
The Hill | July 5, 2019
No Retreat
Inside Higher Ed | June 10, 2019
Ted Mitchell: Congress Must Act to Protect Dreamers Still Living in Legal Limbo
Fox News | May 21, 2019
Taxing College Scholarships: A Travesty to Low-income and Middle-class Students
The Hill | May 20, 2019
Black Students' 'Unprecedented and Unequal' College Debt Should Cause Alarm
The Hechinger Report | Feb. 19, 2019
Congress Must End the Purgatory for ‘Dreamers’
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Nov. 9, 2018
Higher Education Must Clean Out Its ‘Front Porch’
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | April 25, 2018
Only in America
Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 15, 2018
FCC’s Proposed Internet Rules Could Raise College Costs and Hinder Free Exchange of Ideas
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Dec. 8, 2017
The House GOP Tax Bill Would Raise the Cost of College. We Can’t Let That Happen.
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Nov. 6, 2017
Why Most Republicans Don’t Like Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education | July 19, 2017
History, Moral Leadership, and Georgetown
The Washington Post | April 26, 2017
The Supreme Court Frees Colleges to Sensibly Pursue Diversity
The Chronicle of Higher Education | June 24, 2016

Letters to the Editor

Higher Education Must Rediscover Its Purpose
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Jan. 29, 2024
Don’t Blame Student Loan Debt on the Few Schools With Large Endowments
The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | Sept. 11, 2022
College Is Worth It
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 29, 2021
The Harsh New Reality Schools Are Facing on Title IX
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | May 24, 2020
The Flaw in a Higher Education Bill
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Dec. 1, 2019
How Long Will ‘Dreamers’ Have to Live in Limbo?
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 30, 2019
Readers Critique The Post: Ageism, Skateboarding, and the International Space Station
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | July 5, 2019
Blame the NBA, Not the NCAA, for Big-Time Athletes’ Dilemma
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Feb. 25, 2019
Weighing the Value of College
The New York Times (sub. req.) | May 26, 2018
Feds Must Help Colleges Reform and Change
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | May 23, 2018
Making College More Diverse Takes Hard, Customized Work
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | April 2, 2018
How to Assess What Students Have Learned
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Feb. 26, 2018
Tulane’s 41% Student Sexual Assault Rate
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Feb. 15, 2018
Should Rich College Endowments Be Taxed?
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Nov. 20, 2017
Proposed Tax on Private College Endowments Will Hurt Students
MinnPost (MN) | Nov. 16, 2017
The Dreamers Are a Good Part of America’s Future
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | July 25, 2017

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

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ACE Op-Eds

Letters to the Editor

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