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.
With rising food costs and uncertain federal food-assistance benefits wreaking havoc on families nationwide, Alicia Wright has found relief in an unlikely place: her community college’s food pantry.
Wright, a student at Roxbury Community College, says her campus food pantry has been lifesaving, especially as she juggles classes while raising her young daughter, Olivia. Like Wright, nearly 60 percent of college students nationwide have experienced at least one form of basic needs insecurity in the past year, according to a recent Hope Center survey.
For her freshman year at Northwestern University, Dasha Dubinina arrived two days early from Belarus to learn alongside other international students how to set up a bank account, file taxes, and maintain their visa status. Soon, Northwestern will have to come up with ways to teach its 9,500 international students about another issue, too: the norms of free inquiry and open debate.
It’s one of several provisions administrators agreed to as part of a November deal with the Trump administration to restore nearly $800 million in frozen federal research funding. International students and their advocates are at odds over whether the unusual request will help or hurt.
The new year promises a surge in AI-powered academic tools, data-driven learning analytics, and hybrid classroom models that redefine what it means to “attend college.” From automated tutoring and intelligent course design to immersive virtual labs and blockchain-backed credentialing, 2026 may mark the moment that many campuses move from pilot projects to full-scale integration. The real challenge—and opportunity—will focus on balancing innovation with equity and student support as institutions reshape themselves for a new era of learning.
Here’s what educators, stakeholders, and industry experts predict for campuses in 2026.
Internships, apprenticeships, and job opportunities for teens are crucial contributors to today's talent development pipeline and the overall labor market. In addition to these kinds of real-work experiences, long-term projects and mentoring during school and college play an important role, too. Taken together, they serve as a scorecard on talent development, says Brandon Busteed, an education and workforce expert.
So, how is the United States doing on these measures? Busteed weighs in.
Despite widespread teacher knowledge of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, most high school students remain unfamiliar with HBCUs and rarely receive counselor guidance about attending them, according to a new study by the United Negro College Fund.
The research also uncovered evidence of teacher bias regarding minority students' postsecondary pathways. Some educators expressed deficit-based views about students of color, questioning their motivation, academic ability, or financial capacity for college.
Foreign countries are courting American researchers as the Trump administration cancels federal grants en masse that don’t comport to its policy agenda, higher education experts say.
The administration had slashed between $3.3 and $3.7 billion in research funding to over 600 universities by late July, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress. And institutions abroad—particularly in Europe, China, and Canada—have taken notice, stepping up their recruitment of U.S. researchers. That loss of scientific research talent in the United States could affect the country’s economic growth. It could also hurt its ability to address climate change, causing America to fall behind other countries like China that are ramping up research to reduce carbon emissions.
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