Top Higher Education News for Friday
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Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.

February 28, 2025

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TOP STORIES

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‘There’s Tremendous Foreboding’

Evan Goldstein and Len Gutkin, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been only a little more than 30 days since Donald J. Trump assumed his second term as president of the United States. Since then, the administration has injected a strong current of anxiety about legal exposure into the halls of higher education, first in a flurry of executive orders (some of them partially blocked by the courts) and then in a U.S. Department of Education Dear Colleague letter threatening to withhold federal funds to colleges if they did not eliminate their diversity programs.

 

Four experts talk about what all this means—and what comes next.

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Reducing Barriers to Tutoring Participation

Ashley Mowreader, Inside Higher Ed

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Personalized academic assistance can help close completion gaps and improve student outcomes, but few learners say they actively engage with these resources. Some student groups are even less likely to use tutoring, including students with disabilities and online-only learners.

 

A new report offers five ways to provide or incentivize the use of tutoring services.

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As Some High Schoolers Fret Over College Costs, These Majors Earn Students $100K

Nadia Tamez-Robledo, EdSurge

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Selecting a college can be an anxiety-ridden process for many students and parents. Where students go, the major they choose, and what they pay can affect multiple aspects of their lives, during college and beyond.

 

As high school seniors ponder the route they want to take for college, a fresh cache of data sheds light on which higher education institutions and programs are paying off for students—and which ones are yielding smaller pay days.

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Report: Childcare Program Underserves Black Student Parents at Community Colleges

Walter Hudson, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

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A new study from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies reveals that Black student parents at community colleges face significant barriers in accessing critical childcare support, potentially hindering their educational progress and economic mobility.

 

The study specifically examines the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, a federal initiative designed to help student parents with childcare expenses. The findings show that community colleges with substantial Black student populations are underrepresented among CCAMPIS recipients.

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Student Loan Borrowers Could Face Lifetime of Debt Under GOP Plan to Gut Loan Forgiveness

Adam S. Minsky, Forbes

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This week, House Republicans successfully passed a budget resolution that paves the way for trillions of dollars in tax cuts, which lawmakers hope to offset with significant reductions in federal spending. The move includes plans to cut up to $330 billion in education-related spending, in part by slashing student loan forgiveness and repayment plan programs.

 

However, borrower advocates warn that gutting these efforts could be devastating for borrowers, leading to increased costs for millions of Americans and pushing many into default or a lifetime of indebtedness.

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DOGE Said It Cut $881 Million at the Education Department. The Real Savings Are Much Less.

Zachary Schermele and Dian Zhang, USA Today

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The newly formed Department of Government Efficiency says it shaved nearly $900 million from the U.S. Department of Education’s budget.

 

But that math isn’t adding up, according to both left- and right-leaning researchers who say the savings are exaggerated. This analysis shows the figure doesn't account for roughly $400 million that was effectively wasted—not saved—by the DOGE team.

HUMAN WORK AND LEARNING

Why the University of Texas System Is Offering Microcredentials to Students—for Free

Lilah Burke, Higher Ed Dive

The Geography of Gen AI? It’ll Have a Skyline.

Elyse Ashburn, Work Shift

The Battle Over AI in Higher Education Classrooms Is Being Fought in the Field of Student Agency

Jarek Janio, The EvoLLLution

EQUITY IN EDUCATION

As Trump's Deadline to Eliminate DEI Nears, Few Schools Openly Rush to Make Changes

Associated Press

California Democrats Help Reintroduce Bill to Give ‘Dreamers’ a Path to Citizenship

Tyche Hendricks, KQED

Philly-Area Lawmakers Walk Out of Meeting With Penn President Over DEI Cuts

Jared Mitovich, WHYY

Massachusetts Education Leaders Watching Trump Administration Policies Warily

James Paleologopoulos, WAMC

Views: A Lawless Attack on Diversity

Ray Li, Inside Higher Ed

COLLEGE ENROLLMENTS

Milwaukee Area Technical College Enrollment Grows for Third Year

Nick Rommel, Wisconsin Public Radio

Penn State University Announces Plans to Close Some Satellite Campuses Across Pennsylvania

Joe Brandt, CBS News Philadelphia

STATE POLICY

Lawmakers Consider Restricting College Degrees Leading to Low-Paying Jobs

Lucciana Choueiry, The Austin Chronicle

See the States That Offer Undocumented Students Financial Support for Higher Ed.

Ileana Najarro and Gina Tomko, Education Week

SUNY and CUNY Students Call for Increased State Funding Amid Federal Funding Freeze

Samantha Simmons, WAER

Opinion: The Future of Education Starts With the States

Jose Munoz, RealClearEducation

NEW REPORTS AND EVENTS

Black Minds Matter 2025

EdTrust-West

Understanding the Entering Class of 2024

American Council on Education

Black Student Parents’ Access to Affordable Child Care Support at Community Colleges

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Webinar: Reducing College Costs for Low-Income Students

Public Policy Institute of California

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Daily Lumina News is edited by Patricia Brennan.

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