HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

March 20, 2026

Higher education organizations are calling on Congress to protect the Pell Grant program as it faces a looming funding shortfall, Higher Ed Dive reports... Higher education leaders, professors, and advocates are imploring the Education Department to reverse a new policy to limit graduate students' access to federal financial aid, The Chronicle of Higher Education  reports... The Treasury Department will assume responsibility for collecting on defaulted students loans, The Washington Post reports... Academic freedom in the United States has rapidly declined, according to a global index... The University of Notre Dame will cover full tuition costs for students from families with an annual income below $150,000, joining  a growing list of institutions expanding their financial aid programs... Jennifer Walsh will be William Pearce University's next president.

Higher Ed Dive | March 19, 2026

Hundreds of Colleges and Professors Implore Ed. Dept. to Reverse ‘Dangerous’ Changes for Grad Students
The Chronicle of Higher Education | March 19, 2026

Trump Administration Moves Key Student Loan Oversight to Treasury
The Washington Post | March 19, 2026

‘Unusually Steep’ Decline in U.S. University Autonomy, Index Shows
Times Higher Education | March 20,2026

University of Notre Dame to Waive Tuition for Students with Families who Earn under $150,000 Per Year
CBS Chicago | March 19, 2026

William Peace University Announces 13th President
WRAL | March 19, 2026​
March 19, 2026

The Chronicle of Higher Education covers the heavy toll the Trump administration's expanded admissions reporting requirements is having on colleges and universities... The Education Department is considering making it easier for colleges and universities to merge, Inside Higher Ed reports... A new STAT survey of federally funded researchers reveals that many academic scientists are reeling... Inside Higher Ed covers the Department of Agriculture and historically Black land-grant universities' agreement to reaffirm and deepen their collaboration... DeRionne Pollard, president of the American Association of Community Colleges, writes in The EDU Ledger about the importance of including student voices in workforce planning... Chantae Recasner, interim president of Seattle Central College, will be Olympic College's next president.

How Trump’s Demand for Admissions Data Is Burdening Your College
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | March 18, 2026

ED Plans to Ease Merger Pathways
Inside Higher Ed | March 19, 2026

National Survey of NIH-Funded Researchers Shows Precarious State of U.S. Science — ‘This Is like the Titanic’
STAT | March 19, 2026

Historically Black Land-Grant Universities Celebrate USDA Agreement as ‘Big Win’
Inside Higher Ed | March 19, 2026

The Missing Link in the Talent Pipeline: Why Student Voices Matter
The EDU Ledger | March 18, 2026

Olympic College Names Candidate to Become Next President
Kitsap Sun | March 18, 2026


March 18, 2026

The Republican-led House Education and Workforce Committee passed bills aimed at addressing waste, fraud and abuse within the federal student aid system, Inside Higher Ed reports... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s cancellation of fellowships for senior military officers at some universities has caused confusion among members of the armed services and colleges and universities, NOTUS reports... The Labor Department is soliciting applications for a TRIO grant program on the Education Department’s behalf, the latest action in ED's transferring of duties to other agencies, Inside Higher Ed reports... Large majorities of college students believe their education is beneficial and will help them secure a job after graduation, Bruno Manno writes in The 74... Despite increased supports, student mental health continues to be a challenge for higher education, The Hill reports.

House Ed Panel Tackles Alleged Truman Scholarship Bias, Financial Aid Fraud
Inside Higher Ed | March 18, 2026

Hegseth’s Turn on Elite Universities Has Confused Service Members
NOTUS | March 17, 2026

Labor Soliciting Applications for TRIO Grant on ED’s Behalf
Inside Higher Ed | March 18, 2026

As Confidence in Higher Ed Erodes, Students Still Say Their Degrees Are Worth It
The 74 | March 17, 2026

Colleges Struggle to Keep up with Growing Mental Health Problems
The Hill | March 18, 2026


March 17, 2026

Inside Higher Ed reports Congress' challenge in addressing the Pell shortfall... NIH is far behind on grant spending, STAT reports... A new apprenticeship program in Michigan is helping educators earn degrees at no cost, and a new law in Washington will increase financial aid for youth who have experienced homelessness or foster care.

What Will It Take to Address the Pell Shortfall?
Inside Higher Ed | March 17, 2026

NIH Grant Awards Are Again Lagging Far behind Historical Averages, Analysis Shows
STAT | March 17, 2026

Michigan Apprenticeship Helps Early Educators Earn Degrees, Stay Paid
Detroit Free Press | March 15, 2026

More WA Foster, Homeless Youth to Get Tuition Help
The Seattle Times | March 14, 2026


March 16, 2026

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from requiring universities to report expanded admissions data, Reuters reports... The New York Times reports on the turmoil inside a Harvard research lab resulting from the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts... Inside Higher Ed looks at Neumann University’s service initiative that gives students hands-on opportunities make a difference in their community.

U.S. Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Effort to Secure Race Data from Colleges
Reuters | March 13, 2026

His Harvard Lab Was Thriving. Then Came the Cuts.
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 13, 2026

Students Build Belonging Through Service
Inside Higher Ed | March 16, 2026

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