Education News reports policy and institutional developments, checked against completion and outcome data rather than press releases.
A final rule published July 17, 2026 ends the open-ended admission period for foreign students, requiring formal extensions of stay for programs that run longer.
A final rule the Education Department issued on May 1, 2026, plus statutory changes that took effect in July, rewired repayment plans, the autopay discount and the SAVE wind-down.
The National Student Clearinghouse's final spring count shows undergraduate growth continuing while graduate enrollment levels off, per its report released in early June 2026.
A year after the government moved to strip Harvard's ability to enroll international students, courts blocked the revocation and the litigation continues to define the stakes for roughly 1.1 million foreign students.
Full-time non-tenure-track professors at NYU walked off the job on March 23, 2026 and returned with a tentative deal on March 25, the latest sign of organizing power among contingent faculty.
Penn joined the list of elite schools requiring test scores again for the 2025-26 admissions cycle, yet per FairTest more than 80% of four-year colleges remain test-optional.
On January 29, 2026 the Department of Education issued a proposed rule it says will make college more affordable and simplify how federal borrowers repay their loans.
A December comment period, a mid-December NACIQI meeting and a January rulemaking committee mark the fastest federal push to reshape college accreditation in years.
Strong private equity and hedge fund results lifted Ivy League endowments to double-digit returns in fiscal 2025, even as an 8% federal endowment tax looms from July 2026.
The Education Department released the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid on September 24, 2025, a week ahead of schedule and months earlier than the troubled cycles that preceded it.