HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

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

High​er 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

January 20, 2026

​Inside Higher Ed and Higher Ed Dive examine the Trump administration’s sweeping upheaval of higher education during its first year in office… Colleges and universities are scrambling to comply with vastly expanded federal admissions data reporting requirements, reports The Hechinger Report reports… The New York Times reports on how Trump administration immigration policies have driven sharp declines in international student enrollment, focusing on the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a case study... A federal court ordered the Education Department to reconsider some previously cut TRIO grants, Inside Higher Ed reports... Alycia Marshall, the new president of the Community College of Philadelphia, spoke with WHYY about leadership, equity, and the role of community colleges in economic mobility…KTVB looks at Idaho’s LAUNCH program, which state officials say is helping more students access postsecondary education.​

4 Takeaways From Trump’s First Year in Office
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 20, 2025

Trump 2.0’s Impact on Higher Ed: The First Year in 8 Numbers
Higher Ed Dive | Jan. 20, 2025

Trump’s Admissions Data Collection Strains College Administrators
The Hechinger Report | Jan. 19, 2026

How Trump Made Life Difficult for International Students and UWisconsin
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Jan. 19, 2026

Federal Court Orders Reconsideration of Canceled TRIO Grants
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 20, 2025

Studio 2 Extra: Community College of Philadelphia’s New President Dr. Alycia Marshall
WHYY | Jan. 16, 2026

Idaho LAUNCH Program Expanding Opportunities for Postsecondary Education, Research Shows
KTVB | Jan. 19, 2026

January 16, 2026

The Hill reports that the Education Department will move some employees to the Department of Labor as part of its downsizing, while Democrats in Congress are seeking to block the department’s dismantling, according to Politico... Legislatures in 15 states enacted higher education censorship bills last year, according to a new report... Americans want the United States to be a global leader in science, but views on the state of research differ by political party, according to a new survey. 

Education Department Announces Some Personnel Shifting to Labor Department with Programs
The Hill | Jan. 15, 2026

Education Department Breakup a Sticking Point in Spending Talks
Politico | Jan. 15, 2026

Report: State Lawmakers Enacted a Record 21 Censorship Bills in 2025
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 15, 2026

Democrats Say America’s Role as a Scientific Leader Is Slipping, While Republicans Remain Unworried
STAT | Jan 15, 2026

January 15, 2026

Enrollment at colleges and universities ​climbed to the highest levels in a decade, according to new National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data, and Inside Higher Ed analyzes key trends in these data... A Department of Justice memo declaring funding to Minority-Serving Institutions as unconstitutional poses yet another threat to MSIs, Inside Higher Ed reports... The EDU Ledger looks at how colleges and universities will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

College Enrollment Hits 10-Year High, Fueled by Community College Growth
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Jan. 15, 2026

5 Fall 2025 Enrollment Takeaways
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 15, 2026

DOJ Report Compounds MSI Advocates’ Worries
Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 15, 2026

Universities Mark MLK Day 2026 with Community Service, Civil Rights Programming
The EDU Ledger | Jan. 14, 2026

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