HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

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

September 23, 2026

An opinion piece in The Washington Post from Sen. McCormick (R-PA) highlights the importance of medical research and why the federal government should invest in research and development. . .The Wall Street Journal covers a new report from Cornell University that includes recommendations of how higher education can address issues like AI and federal and state funding. . .Inside Higher Ed reports that the Education Department will be redirecting more than $235 million in funders for minority-serving institutions to HBCUs and tribal colleges. . .Higher Ed Dive covers how the Protect College Sports Act could shift the collegiate athletics landscape. . .

Opinion | I’m a Republican Senator. America Needs More Science, Not Less.
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | September 23, 2026

In 200-Page Report, Cornell Confronts the Crisis in American Higher Education
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) | September 22, 2026

ED Redirects $235M in MSI Funds to HBCUs, Tribal Colleges
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 23, 20206

College Athletics Rack Up Millions in Deficits as Senate Eyes Oversight Bill
Higher Ed Dive | September 22, 2026

September 22, 2026

Inside Higher Ed covers how higher ed associations have been responding to the Trump administration’s proposed rule to change accreditation. . .Inside Higher Ed reports on how apprenticeships with some college instruction can fast track students’ access to Workforce Pell Grants. . .Higher Ed Dive reports that California has passed a law that will expand 4-year degree offerings at community colleges. . .

Higher Ed Groups Push Back on Trump’s New Accreditation Rule
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 22, 2026

How Apprenticeships Can Help Colleges Access Workforce Pell
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 22, 2026

California Governor Signs Laws to Expand 4-Year Degrees at Community Colleges
Higher Ed Dive | September 21, 2026

September 21, 2026

The New York Times reports that the Trump administration is drafting an executive order that would put the NIH portfolio of awards under the purview of a new external committee. . .Inside Higher Ed reports how significant changes to the federal student loan program are beginning to impact students. . .Forbes covers proposed changes to accreditation and why students and families should care about the issue. . .The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights how new Workforce Pell Grants are being slowly rolled out at universities across the country. . .

White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants
The New York Times (sub. req.) | September 20, 2026

Under New Loan Limits, Students Struggle to Finance Final Year
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 21, 2026

The Accreditation Fight Over Who Controls Higher Education
Forbes | September 19, 2026

Workforce Pell’s Slow Rollout
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | September 18, 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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