dotEDU: Higher Education Policy Explained

The courts continue to play a major role in shaping higher education policy, with cases involving research funding, admissions standards, and more moving through the legal system. The dotEDU hosts talk through the cases they're watching, what they could mean for colleges and universities, and what other legal challenges may be ahead. But first, they break down what's happening following the recent rescissions package, ongoing immigration and visa investigations, and the Trump administration's return to the 2020 Title IX rule. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: General Topics Higher Ed Groups Ask Congress to Reverse Rescissions Targeting International Education  ACE | October 5, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/Higher-Ed-Groups-Urge-Congress-to-Reverse-Rescissions.aspx Trump Administration Proposes a $70,000 Fee for International Students to Work in the US  The Associated Press | October 7, 2026 https://apnews.com/article/opt-dhs-fee-international-students-enrollment-schools-0919dcbc5a61a589e01ec29041a2087e White House Cracks Down on Student Visas at Stanford and Caltech, as well as Tech Work Visas  Los Angeles Times | October 8, 2026 https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-10-08/white-house-cracks-down-on-student-visas-at-stanford-caltech-as-well-as-tech-work-visas DHS Proposes New OPT Fee as International Students Face New Restrictions  ACE | October 8, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/DHS-Proposes-New-OPT-Fee.aspx Employee Question Could Stall Senate College Sports Bill at Midfield in House  Roll Call | October 5, 2026 https://rollcall.com/2026/10/05/employee-question-could-stall-senate-college-sports-bill-at-midfield-in-house/ U.S. Department of Education Formally Rescinds the Biden Administration's Illegal Title IX Rewrite, Reinstating the 2020 Regulation  Education Department | September 28, 2026 ​ https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-formally-rescinds-biden-administrations-illegal-title-ix-rewrite-reinstating-2020-regulation The Legal Landscape A Boston Courtroom is Center Stage as Legal Battle Between Harvard and Trump Moves to Next Round  Boston Globe | October 5, 2026 https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/10/05/metro/harvard-trump-federal-court-appeal/ Researchers Sue NIH Alleging Unconstitutional Grant Screening Process  Higher Ed Dive | September 18, 2026 https://www.highereddive.com/news/researchers-sue-nih-alleging-unconstitutional-grant-screening-process/830834/ Colleges Seek Answers Amid Trump Push to Cancel Tax Exemptions over Diversity Programs  Politico | October 7, 2026 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/07/college-tax-exempt-trump-regulations-01105427

Congressional appropriations for the upcoming fiscal year, new proposals on international students and visas, accreditation, and colleges' tax-exempt status are all on the agenda as Congress returns to Washington for a short stretch before the midterms. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer break down what happened during the August recess and what to expect leading up to the election on the season opener of dotEDU.​ Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Secretary McMahon's Call to Action Secretary McMahon's Call to Action Department of Education Issues National Call to Action for CampusesACE | August 10, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/ED-Issues-National-Call-to-Action-for-Campuses.aspx Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Commit to Education OverhaulPolitico | August 3, 2026https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/03/trump-admin-asks-colleges-to-sign-on-to-their-priorities-01022271 McMahon Sends Reform 'Questionnaire' to Colleges​ Inside Higher Ed | August 3, 2026https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2026/08/03/mcmahon-sends-reform-questionnaire-colleges Appropriations & Federal Agencies White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants The New York Times | September 20, 2026  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/science/nih-omb-grants-bhattacharya-vought.html  Researchers Accuse NIH of Viewpoint Discrimination in New Class Action Lawsuit Inside Higher Ed | September 18, 2026  https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2026/09/18/researchers-accuse-nih-viewpoint-discrimination  ED, NSF Move to Implement Elements of Pending OMB Grant Proposal​ ACE | August 27, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/ED-NSF-Move-to-Implement-Uniform-Guidance.aspx  International Updates International Students Face More New Hurdles This Year​ ACE | September 10, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/International-Students-Face-New-Immigration-Hurdles-This-Year-.aspx  Judge blocks DHS rule limiting foreign students to four-year stays The Washington Post | September 14, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/09/14/judge-blocks-dhs-rule-limiting-foreign-students-four-year-stays/  Colleges Dodge Trump's $103K H-1B Visa Fee Politico | August 24, 2026 https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/08/colleges-dodge-trumps-103k-h-1b-visa-fee-01048239?site=pro∏=alert&prodname=alertmail&linktype=article&source=email  Accreditation ACE Comments on Proposed Accreditation Rule ACE | September 16, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Comments-ED-Draft-Rule-Accreditation-091726.pdf  Will Trump's Accreditation Revamp Force Campus Changes? Inside Higher Ed | September 16, 2026 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/governance/accreditation/2026/09/16/will-trumps-accreditation-revamp-force-campus-changes  Quick Hits – Tax-Exempt Status, Section 117, & Athletics IRS Proposes Rules to Strip Tax Exemptions From Colleges Using Race in Policies The Wall Street Journal | September 3, 2026 https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/irs-proposes-rules-to-strip-tax-exemptions-from-colleges-using-race-in-policies-774a32af?mod=education_news_article_pos1  Trump Administration Aims to Strip Schools' Tax Exemption if They Consider Race The Washington Post | September 3, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/09/03/trump-administration-aims-strip-schools-tax-exemption-if-they-consider-race/  Letter to the Editor | The Debate Over Foreign Money in Higher Education The Wall Street Journal | September 7, 2026 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-debate-over-foreign-money-in-higher-education-b4923e88?mod=letterstoeditor_article_pos2  College Sports Bill Moves Forward in Senate with Democratic Support Politico | September 15, 2026 https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/09/15/congress/college-sports-bill-advances-01078084  Republican Bill Aims to Cap Numbers of International Student Athletes​ Inside Higher Ed | September 15, 2026 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/09/15/gop-bill-aims-cap-international-student-athletes 

Higher education is looking ahead to a busy fall, with midterm elections shaping the political landscape, an unfinished government funding process for FY 2027, and a wave of proposed rules working their way through various federal agencies. In the last eipsode of Season 7, the dotEDU hosts break down what campuses should expect in the months ahead.

The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) higher education provisions are effective July 1, and financial aid offices are on the front lines of putting them into practice. Melanie Storey, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, joins hosts Mushtaq Gunja and Jon Fansmith to talk about the implementation challenges, from new program-level accountability requirements to the practical questions about student aid that campuses are working through. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: "Uniform Guidance" Grantmaking Rule Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance​ Federal Register | May 28, 2026​​ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/29/2026-10817/regulation-for-federal-financial-assistance Summary: Office of M​anagement and Budget Government-Wide Regulations for Federal Financial Assistance ACE | June 16, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Summary-OMB-Federal-Financial-Assistance-Regs-060226.pdf Sen. Collins Asks OMB to Withdraw Parts of Grant Rule, Extend Comment Period​ U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations | July 6, 2026 https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/sen-collins-asks-omb-to-withdraw-parts-of-grant-rule-extend-comment-period Comments Flood OMB Proposal to Cement Political Control of Grants Inside Higher Ed | July 7, 2026 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2026/07/07/comments-flood-omb-proposal-political-control "Professional" Degree & Graduate Loan Limits Rule Nursing Gains 'Professional' Label for Student Loans After Judge's Ruling, But Theology Now Dropped The Associated Press | June 29, 2026 https://apnews.com/article/nursing-student-loans-professional-caps-theology-061ef7c1a98688e5338ff5128821a7b9 Professional Degree Definition Remains Contested as Student Loan Changes Take Effect July 1 ACE | June 29, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/New-ED-Rules-in-Effect-July-1.aspx Accountability Rule (Earnings Test) U.S. Department of Education Issues Final Rule to Hold All Colleges and Universities Accountable for Low-Earning Programs  Department of Education | June 29, 2026 https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-issues-final-rule-hold-all-colleges-and-universities-accountable-low-earning-programs Financial Aid Shift to Hit Low-Wage Fields Like Religion, Cosmetology and Arts The Washington Post | June 30, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/06/30/bible-beauty-performing-arts-schools-face-cuts-financial-aid/ Comments on Education Department's Proposed Rule on Accountability ACE | May 20, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Comments-AHEAD-Accountability-NPRM-052026.pdf OBBB Student Loan Changes July 1 Brings Big Student Loan Changes. Here's What You Need to Know NPR | June 30, 2026 https://www.npr.org/2026/06/10/nx-s1-5835633/student-loans-guide-education-changes-repayment-plan Comments on the Education Department's Implementation of OBBB Financial Aid Provisions​ ACE | March 2, 2026 Public Service Loan Forgiveness https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Comments-ED-RISE-030226.pdf Judges Strike Down Trump's Restrictions on Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants The Washington Post | June 30, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/06/30/court-strikes-down-trumps-limits-loan-forgiveness-public-servants/ Dear Colleague Letter on Housing Dear Colleague Letter​​ HUD | June 23, 2026 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28317431-06232026-as-trainors-dcl-on-racially-segregated-school-housing87/ Dear Colleague Letter Asks Colleges to End Affinity Housing​ Inside Higher Ed | June 26, 2026 Supreme Court Ruling on Transgender Athletes https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/2026/06/26/dear-colleague-letter-asks-colleges-end-affinity-housing Supreme Court Decision on Transgender Athletes Supreme Court Allows States to Bar Transgender Athletes From Girls' Sports The New York Times | June 30, 2026n https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/30/us/politics/supreme-court-transgender-athletes.html

The Department of Education is shifting civil rights investigations to the Department of Justice, a move that undermines the resolution-focused approach to resolving complaints that has supported students and campuses for decades. The dotEDU team breaks down what this latest move to dismantle ED means for higher ed, along with the latest updates on the House FY 2027 spending bill, changes to the rules for how federal grants are awarded, and more. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: U.S. Department of Education Announces Additional Partnerships to Strengthen Coordination for Individuals with Disabilities Programs, Bolster Civil Rights Enforcement https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-additional-partnerships-strengthen-coordination-individuals-disabilities-programs-bolster-civil-rights Education Dept. Plans to Move Special Ed and Civil Rights Out of the Agency The Washington Post | June 16, 2026 https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2026/06/16/education-dept-plans-move-special-ed-civil-rights-out-agency/ Committee Approves FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/committee-approves-fy27-labor-health-and-human-services-and-education Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2027​ https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy27-labor-health-and-human-services-education-and-related-agencies-bill-subcommittee-summary.pdf Higher Education Faces New Spending Limits as House Appropriations Bill Advances ACE | June 15, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/House-Committee-Passes-FY27-Labor-HHS-Bill.aspx House Republicans Aim to Override Trump's Loan Limit Regulations Inside Higher Ed | June 12, 2026 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/student-aid-policy/2026/06/12/house-gop-tries-override-trumps-loan-limit Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance Federal Register https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/29/2026-10817/regulation-for-federal-financial-assistance Office of Management and Budget Government-Wide Regulations for Federal Financial Assistance ACE | June 2, 2026 https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/Summary-OMB-Federal-Financial-Assistance-Regs-060226.pdf Judge Blocks USCIS Pause, but International Students Remain in Limbo​ Inside Higher Ed | June 16, 2026 https://www.insidehighered.com/news/global/international-students-us/2026/06/16/intl-students-still-limbo-even-uscis-pause-over Remember the Dreamers https://www.rememberthedreamers.org/