Top Higher Education News for Wednesday
Lumina

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.

August 27, 2025

Subscribe to this email

TOP STORIES

download - 2025-08-26T072402.667

An Uncertain Future for HSIs

Sara Weissman, Inside Higher Ed

SHARE:  Facebook • LinkedIn

Hispanic-Serving Institutions are finding themselves in a precarious position after news broke last week that the U.S. Department of Justice won’t defend them from a recent lawsuit. The lawsuit—filed by the state of Tennessee and the group known as Students for Fair Admissions—deemed the HSI program “unconstitutional” and “discriminatory” for requiring institutions to enroll at least 25 percent Hispanic students to qualify for specific federal grants.

 

The DOJ’s latest move now thrusts leaders at HSIs into a moment of acute financial uncertainty. 

istockphoto-842997064-612x612 (1)

The Nation’s Most Selective Colleges Might Have Just Snatched Away Your Students

Sonel Cutler, The Chronicle of Higher Education

SHARE:  Facebook • LinkedIn

College wait lists first emerged as demand for college degrees skyrocketed after the passing of the 1944 G.I. Bill. College administrators had to find a way to manage class sizes and yield so as to not enroll more students than they could accommodate.

 

For college applicants, wait lists have become a sort of purgatory, stringing along applicants’ hopes of admission. In some years, prestigious universities like Harvard University admit zero students from their wait lists, according to Harvard's FAQ page.

istockphoto-2127530063-612x612

For International Students, It's Back to School But Not Back to Normal

Emily Piper-Vallillo, WBUR

SHARE:  Facebook • LinkedIn

For some travelers arriving at Logan Airport’s international terminal, loved ones with flowers or balloons await them just outside the door to U.S. Customs and Border Control. But it's a lonelier arrival for many incoming international students, who each year leave their families to pursue higher education in the United States.

 

This year the trip comes with a lot more anxiety. What was once a routine journey back to school for the roughly 80,000 international students on Massachusetts campuses now feels laden with risk and uncertainty because of the Trump administration's shifting policy regulations.

istockphoto-1410104673-612x612

After Texas Deal, Trump Seeks to Widen Ban on In-State Tuition for Noncitizens

Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Jeremy Roebuck, The Washington Post

SHARE:  Facebook • LinkedIn

Tens of thousands of undocumented students at public universities and community colleges in Texas are facing uncertainty and astronomically higher bills this fall after the Trump administration and state officials struck a deal to deny them in-state tuition.

 

Now, the U.S. Department of Justice is attempting to end tuition breaks in several other states for students who are residents there but do not have legal status.

download - 2025-08-26T104910.864

How to Cure the Primary Care Crisis? Rhode Island Prescribes Student Loan Support

Nancy Lavin, News From the States

SHARE:  Facebook • LinkedIn

Caleigh Paquette prides herself on planning ahead. The 26-year-old physician assistant began her career as a teenager, starting clinical work hours at 18 in preparation for graduate school. She barreled through seven years of higher education with no breaks, landing a job with Brown University Health’s primary care offices even before graduating from her master’s program in May 2024.

 

The one element not entirely pre-planned: $180,000 in student loan debt. But Paquette won’t have to shoulder all that debt on her own thanks to a program started by former Gov. Gina Raimondo to reduce the “brain drain” in science, technology, engineering, and math.

istockphoto-2167882376-612x612

Many College Students Turn to ChatGPT for Therapy. Is That OK?

Nina Giraldo, The Baltimore Banner

SHARE:  Facebook • LinkedIn

After Xiomara Champion had two car accidents in one month and the stress kicked in, the college student sought help from her stand-in therapist, one that costs nothing and is always available: ChatGPT.

 

Experts say the technology can provide a slew of information—but it can also be inaccurate and create an illusion of connection that further isolates its users.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Gen Z Adults Show Declining Wellbeing as Students Thrive, New Survey Reveals

Jamal Watson, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

How to Make Career Connections for Online Learners

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

Latest College Rankings Show How Much the Method Matters

Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes

Essay: Students Hate Them. Universities Need Them. The Only Real Solution to the A.I. Cheating Crisis.

Clay Shirky, The New York Times

STUDENT SUPPORT

Half of College Students Say Their Mental Health Is ‘Fair’ to ‘Terrible,’ Survey Finds

Danielle McLean, Higher Ed Dive

From Access to Belonging: Redefining Orientation for Lifelong Learners

Amrit Ahluwalia, The EvoLLLution

University of Montana Finding Success in Keeping Indigenous Students in School

Mark Martin, KPAX

COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY

Latino Civil Rights Group Moves to Protect In-State Tuition for Immigrants in Kentucky

McKenna Horsley, Kentucky Lantern

Georgia Has High Student Loan Debt; Ranks Low for Need-Based Aid

Kim Jarrett, The Center Square

Governor Hochul Launches SUNY and CUNY Reconnect, Offering Free Tuition for Adult Learners

Felix Day, WRGB

Opinion: The Resumption of Student Loan Payments Means Students Will Need New Policies—and Our Help

Jamal Watson, The Hechinger Report

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

SJSU Enrollment Reaches New Heights as Other CSU Schools Struggle

Damian Trujillo, NBC Bay Area

ACC Has Highest First-Day-of-Class Enrollment in Its History

Sam Stark, KXAN

Oregon’s College Leaders Navigate Uncertain Financial Waters

Tiffany Camhi, Oregon Public Broadcasting

Alamo Colleges Joins Network Aimed at Boosting Enrollment in ‘High Value’ Programs

Camille Phillips, Texas Public Radio

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

UC Scraps 'African American' From Cultural Center, So Black Students and Alums Forge New One

Zack Carreon, WVXU

UofM Students Worried After DEI Department Closes

Raven Copeland, WREG

UNC System Boards Reviewing Anti-DEI Compliance Ahead of Reporting Deadline

Korie Dean, The News & Observer

Views: I Run an Internship Program for Undocumented Students. Here’s What We Owe Immigrant Youth.

Augusta Warton, Chalkbeat New York

luminafoundation.org
Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn