Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.
The U.S. Department of Education’s recent letter outlining principles for “every postsecondary institution” in the country is a bombshell for two reasons. One: The Trump administration is asking college presidents to sign onto its overarching vision for the sector. Two: Several prominent higher education leaders reportedly helped to draft it.
Now, some of the leaders named as having worked on the "National Call to Action" letter are downplaying their involvement. Their insistence that they didn’t provide significant input points to big research universities’ tough balancing act in dealing with the federal government.
Connecticut’s Office of Higher Education has launched a redesigned online credential registry that officials expect will serve as a single resource for students interested in postsecondary education and training programs across the state. The tool combines enrollment information on approximately 130 colleges, universities and private career centers and more than 4,200 credit and noncredit programs. The programs range from certificates and occupational training through associate’s, bachelor’s, graduate and professional degrees.
Education advocates say a key purpose behind the new resource is to protect students against predatory entities. The institutions included in the state’s registry have all received authorization from the state of Connecticut to offer education and award credentials.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon and the Heritage Foundation are launching a renewed campaign to reshape higher education. McMahon's recent letter calls for colleges to embrace specific reforms, while the Heritage Foundation has unveiled a model bill for state legislatures to codify the administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence."
The proposed legislation from the conservative think tank is highly prescriptive, mandating measures like the Classic Learning Test, prohibiting DEI offices, and requiring institutional neutrality. College leaders now grapple with how to respond, weighing engagement against resistance, as these provisions could tie state funding to compliance and fundamentally alter institutional autonomy.
Some students at private colleges in Washington State recently received an unpleasant surprise: Legislators had cut by a third the Washington College Grant, a state award they counted on to cover a big chunk of their tuition costs, starting this fall. A legislative push to boost the grant failed to get off the ground, leaving students—and their institutions—on the hook for thousands of dollars.
Washington isn’t the only state struggling to fulfill its financial aid promises. Nationwide, students receive over $18 billion in state-level financial aid annually. For some—particularly those whose families may earn too much to qualify them for the federal Pell Grant—the funding can make a major difference in their ability to attend college.
On July 1st, the Trump administration’s sweeping overhaul of federal higher ed policy and financing took effect. The alterations touched nearly every part of the sector, from changes to graduate student lending to who ultimately decides which scientific discoveries receive billions in taxpayer funding.
Supporters say Washington is finally bringing accountability to colleges that have driven up costs and pushed ideological agendas. Critics warn the federal government is exerting power over decisions that have long been made by consumers, financial aid institutions, university leaders, and independent scientific experts.
There have always been questions about whether degrees from online programs are of equal value to those earned on campuses. But policymakers and education leaders have spent two decades championing online learning as an equity tool allowing nontraditional college students, like low-income working parents, to study wherever and whenever is convenient for them. Many students say online classes put degrees within reach.
Now, though, some education watchers say the accessibility of artificial intelligence is deepening misgivings about the most accessible form of higher education—just as many students are struggling with the academic aftermath of the pandemic and questioning whether they have the skills to succeed in college.
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