HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

September 30, 2026

The Wall Street Journal reports that Carnegie Mellon University will receive a $3 billion donation, which includes $2 billion to launch a campus in Miami, the largest individual gift to a higher education institution...Inside Higher Ed covers the potential impacts of the Trump administration’s pocket rescission on higher ed institutions. . .The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights a new report that examines the impact of the admissions data addition to IPEDS, the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement, which required selective four-year colleges and universities to provide data dating back to seven years ago. . .The Washington Post reports that federal student loan borrowers have until the end of the calendar year to enroll in autopay to lower their interest by one percentage point. . .

Ken Griffin Is Making the Largest Donation to Higher Education in U.S. History
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | September 30, 2026

How Trump’s Pocket Rescissions Could Affect Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 30, 2026

How Trump’s Admissions-Data Push Burdened Colleges
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | September 30, 2026

Student Loan Borrowers Get More Time to Enroll in Autopay for a Debt Discount
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | September 29, 2026

September 29, 2026

The Washington Post reports that the Education Department is returning to the 2020 Title IX rules from the first Trump administration. . .The New York Times covers the Senate passing the Protect College Sports Act. . .The Christian Science Monitor highlights how some colleges and university systems are responding to the Trump administration’s call to action from August. . .

Education Department Officially Scraps Biden-era Title IX Rules
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | September 28, 2026

Senate Resoundingly Approves Sweeping College Sports Measure
The New York Times (sub. req.) | September 28, 2026

How Colleges Are Responding to Trump Administration’s ‘Call to Action’
The Christian Science Monitor (sub. req.) | September 29, 2026

September 28, 2026

Inside Higher Ed covers the Trump administration’s latest rescission package, which includes funding for Education Department programs. . .Roll Call reports on the Protect College Sports Act, which may be the last piece of major legislation to advance before election day. . .Inside Higher Ed highlights research from the Brookings Institution on how free tuition policies are a powerful tool to communicate affordability and recruit students. . .The EDU Ledger covers the federal policy changes the Trump administration is implementing near the end of the federal fiscal year, including the grantmaking process and accreditation. . .

White House Tries to Cancel Millions for International Ed Programs
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 28, 2026

This Week: Senate Takes Final Votes Before Elections
Roll Call | September 28, 2026

Free Tuition Deals Most Effective as Marketing Strategies, Research Shows
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 28, 2026

Federal Moves Put Higher Ed’s Money and Gatekeepers Under Scrutiny
The EDU Ledger | September 27, 2026

September 25, 2026

Inside Higher Ed covers ACE and other higher ed associations’ response to the Education Department’s proposed changes to the grantmaking process. . .The Wall Street Journal reports that private universities are implementing new strategies to help lower attendance costs for students. . .Higher Ed Dive highlights that higher ed institutions are continuing to see a decline in international student enrollment as more enrollment data is released. . .The Chronicle of Higher Education covers the changes that Syracuse University is making to ensure the institution’s long-term stability. . .The Washington Post covers a lawsuit from a group of students against the Education Department, saying that ED canceled their debt but continued to report it as active to credit bureaus. . .

Higher Ed Groups Bash ED Proposal to Allow More Grant Terminations
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 25, 2026

Colleges Once Saw High Tuition as a Sign of Quality. Now They’re Slashing Prices.
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | September 25, 2026

Major Public Universities Report Hits to International Enrollment
Higher Ed Dive | September 25, 2026

Existential U.
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | September 24, 2026

Students Sue Education Dept., Claiming It Reported $4.6B in Canceled Loans as Debt
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | September 25, 2026

September 24, 2026

NPR covers insights into how the Trump administration’s changes to the Education Department have made the department more inefficient. . .The New York Times highlights that the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity tabled their accreditation vote on the American Bar Association. . .The Hill reports on the Education Department’s announcement that the FAFSA has opened for students earlier than ever before. . .

The Education Dept. Hasn't Been Dismantled. It's Become More Inefficient, Staff Say
NPR | September 24, 2026

American Bar Association Fights to Keep Power to Vet Law Schools
The New York Times (sub. req.) | September 24, 2026

Education Department Announces Earliest FAFSA Launch in Program History
The Hill | September 23, 2026

News RoomACE In the News

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ACE Op-Eds

New School Year Brings Major Financial Uncertainty for Students
Inside Higher Ed | Aug 17, 2026
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

The Debate Over Foreign Money in Higher Education
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | Sept. 7, 2026
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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