HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

August 22, 2025

​​NPR looks at the impact on students across the country if the Trump administration succeeds in eliminating funding for TRIO programs . . . The Supreme Court ruled that the National Institutes of Health does not have to restore nearly $800 million in canceled grants, though it left the door open for the researchers to seek relief elsewhere, reports Inside Higher Ed . . . Higher Ed Divewrites that more than 260 Office for Civil Rights staff laid-off in March will be brought back by the Department of Education in waves through early November. . .

These Programs Help Poor Students With College. Trump Wants to Pull the Funding
NPR| August 22, 2025

Supreme Court Says NIH Doesn't Have to Restore Canceled Grants
Inside Higher Ed | August 21, 2025

Education Department Plans Return of Laid-Off OCR Employees
Higher Ed Dive| August 21, 2025​

August 21, 2025

The University of Missouri is trying to raise more than $1 billion to build an advanced nuclear reactor to accelerate production of key ingredients for cancer treatments, reports Inside Higher Ed . . . Few New England voters expressed enthusiastic support for Trump’s education agenda in an ongoing focus group conducted by The Boston Globe . . . Virginia Wesleyan University will be renamed after philanthropist Jane Batten and her family.

U of Missouri Forges Ahead With Ambitious Nuclear Research Project
Inside Higher Ed | August 21, 2025

New Englanders Grade Trump Harshly on Education
The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | August 21, 2025

Virginia Wesleyan University is Getting a New Name: Batten University
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | August 20, 2025


August 20, 2025

The New York Times writes that many international students might not make it to campus in time for the start of the fall semester because of Trump administration policies, with Higher Ed Dive reporting that the State Department has revoked 6,000 student visas this year . . . A new survey by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators indicates that complaints about the Office of Federal Student Aid’s operations have risen sharply in recent months, putting some students’ access to the federal funds they need for college at risk, Inside Higher Ed and The Chronicle of Higher Education report.

Trump’s Tactics Mean Many International Students Won’t Make It to Campus
The New York Times (sub. req.) | August 20, 2025

State Department has Revoked Over 6,000 Student Visas This Year 
Higher Ed Dive | August 19, 2025

Survey Shows Rising Concern Over Federal Aid Staff Cuts
Inside Higher Ed | August 20, 2025

Is Turmoil in Washington Straining the Financial-Aid System? 
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | August 20, 2025


August 19, 2025

Inside Higher Ed looks at the Trump administration's proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which student advocates and higher ed lobbyists fear could lead to a shortfall in employees to fill high-demand, low-wage jobs, among other issues . . . The recently passed reconciliation law has many college students rethinking their plans for higher education, with over a third looking into cutting back on schooling and 32 percent considering pursuing a different degree as a result, according to a U.S. News survey . . . The Trump administration has upended civil rights enforcement at K-12 schools and colleges and universities, reports The Washington Post...A broad swath of the UCLA Jewish community has condemned the Trump administration's freeze on research funds there and demand for the institution to pay a $1 billion penalty over alleged campus antisemitism.

New PSLF Rule Could Limit Debt Relief Access for Thousands
Inside Higher Ed | August 19, 2025

Survey: College Students Rethink Plans Amid Big, Beautiful Bill
US News | August 18, 2025

Under Trump, the Education Dept. has Flipped Its Civil Rights Mission
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | August 18, 2025

UCLA’s Jewish Community Unites Against Trump’s $1-Billion Demand: ‘Misguided and Punitive’
Los Angeles Times (sub. req.) | August 19, 2025


August 18, 2025

WBUR reports that demand for leases is down in the Boston area, partly because international students are still waiting for their visas to be approved. Meanwhile, Inside Higher Ed covers a survey showing that most international students still plan to study in the United States, though a majority expressed some concern about recent federal policy changes . . . The Chronicle of Higher Education explores what happens next after a federal judge struck down the Trump administration's DEI guidance . . . Spectrum News looks at the state of higher education in Wisconsin.

Survey: International Student Demand Remains High for Now, Despite Federal Changes
Inside Higher Ed | August 18, 2025

International Students are Signing Fewer Boston Leases Amid Uncertain Future
WBUR | August 15, 2025

Colleges Rushed to Comply With Trump’s Anti-DEI Guidance. A Judge Just Struck It Down. Now What? 
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | August 15, 2025

The State of Higher Education in Wisconsin
Spectrum News | August 17, 2025

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