HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week

October 7, 2026

Politico reports on the Trump administration’s new proposed rule at the IRS that would establish rules aimed at DEI activities on campus and could result in private institutions losing their nonprofit tax-exempt status. . .The Boston Globe covers a lawsuit from higher ed associations challenging the Trump administration’s changes to the requirements for Curricular Practical Training. . .Fast Company highlights a brief from ACE and Pearson on ways institutions can support non-traditional learners as they pursue a degree. . .

Colleges Seek Answers Amid Trump Push to Cancel Tax Exemptions Over Diversity Programs
Politico | October 7, 2026

Higher Ed Leaders Sue Trump Administration Over Limitations on International Student Internships
The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | October 6, 2026

A New Back-to-School Focus on Non-traditional Learners
Fast Company | October 6, 2026

October 6, 2026

Inside Higher Ed covers a report from the Department of Education that shows the national cohort default rate has risen. . .Higher Ed Dive highlights some of the top higher education conferences in the coming year, including ACEx2027. . .Roll Call reports on the Protect College Sports Act’s potential challenges in the House. . .

As National Default Rate Stays Low, Other Data Offers Warning
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | October 6, 2026

Top Higher Education Conferences in 2027
Higher Ed Dive | October 6, 2026

Employee Question Could Stall Senate College Sports Bill at Midfield in House
Roll Call | October 5, 2026

October 5, 2026

The Washington Post reports on challenges that borrowers who are in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program have faced. . .The Boston Globe shares an interview with Paul LeBlanc on the future of higher ed in the era of artificial intelligence. . .NPR covers how one community college is preparing students to fill data center roles. . .

Thousands of Public Servants Are Stuck Waiting for Student Loan Forgiveness
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | October 5, 2026

Opinion | ‘Gen Z Has a Hunger for It’: Higher Ed’s Opportunity for Renewal
The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | October 3, 2026

How Community Colleges Are Evolving to Fill Local Data Center Jobs
NPR | October 3, 2026

October 2, 2026

Inside Higher Ed covers a new report on researcher mobility between the United States, Europe, and China. . .The Chronicle of Higher Education highlights a recent trend for large universities to establish campuses in southern Florida. . .Higher Ed Dive reports that the Department of Homeland Security is appealing a ruling that paused the duration of status rule, a proposal changing how long international students are allowed to stay in the United States, before it began to take effect. . .

‘Sharp’ Fall in Research Mobility Between E.U., U.S. and China
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | October 2, 2026

Why Are Name-Brand Colleges Heading to Florida?
The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | October 1, 2026

DHS Appeals Decision Blocking 4-Year Cap on Student Visas
Higher Ed Dive | October 1, 2026

October 1, 2026

The Washington Post reports new data from a National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report that shows more than half of students take about four years to finish their degree. . .Inside Higher Ed covers how higher ed leaders are preparing to implement Workforce Pell on their campuses. . .A new survey highlights what adult learners are looking for as they pursue their degree, including competency-based education and flexibility, according to Inside Higher Ed. . .

Most Students Finish College in 4 Years or Less, Report Finds
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | October 1, 2026

College Leaders Prepare to Administer Workforce Pell as ED Approves Programs
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | October 1, 2026

Adult Learners Want More Than Flexibility
Inside Higher Ed (sub. req.) | September 30, 2026

News RoomACE In the News

Explore More

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

Explore More

ACE Op-Eds

Letters to the Editor

Higher Education News Links