In today’s rapidly evolving policy environment, it’s difficult for higher ed leaders to keep up with all that’s changing. But understanding the nuances of new legislation, regulations, and potential funding cuts is essential not only for addressing immediate challenges but also for strategically planning for the future.
EAB’s federal policy digests provide a comprehensive overview of recent developments, highlighting key policy changes and their possible ramifications. We hope these insights will empower you and your team to spend less time on keeping up with the day-to-day news cycle and more time on developing a strategic vision that will make your institution stronger, no matter what unfolds in the policy landscape.
Explore our digests from the past several months for concise and actionable insights into the latest federal policies impacting your campus.
Most Recent Digest
August 12, 2025
- White House Requests Data on the Race of Institutions’ Applicants, Admits, and Enrollees
- White House Signs Executive Order Giving Political Appointees Control Over All Federal Grants
Previous Digests
August 7, 2025
- Senate Confirms Under Secretary of Education
- Senate Moves to Protect Pell and Research Funding from Trump Administration’s Proposed Cuts
- Department of Justice Releases Memo Restricting DEI
- NAFSA Announces a Potential 30-40% Decline in New International Student Enrollments
- Education Department Begins Publishing Borrowers’ Nonpayment Rates by Institution
July 29, 2025
- Department of Education Announces Intention to Convene Two New Negotiated Rulemaking Committees
- Trump Administration Seeks Supreme Court Ruling on NIH Cuts
- Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at College Athletics
July 22, 2025
- Department of Energy Postpones Implementation of Multiple Civil Rights Rules After Public Opposition
- Concerns Grow About Potential Delays in Disbursement of Federal Financial Aid and Grants
- Experts Express Concerns about Workforce Pell Grant Implementation and Accountability
July 14, 2025
- Supreme Court Allows Layoffs at Department of Education
- Votes Secured to Move Forward with Creating New Accrediting Agency
- Department of Education Bars Federal Funding for Certain Programs Serving Undocumented Students
- Department of Education Tweaks 90-10 Rule
- National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity Meeting is Postponed
July 7, 2025
- Trump Signs Reconciliation Bill Into Law
- Court Places Limits on Nationwide Injunctions
- Trump Administration Proposes Cap to Replace Duration of Status
June 25, 2025
- More Legal Rulings Are Made Related to Indirect Cost Caps and Canceled Research Funding
- Trump Administration Releases Social Media Screening Rules for Student Visa Applicants
- Senate Finance Committee’s Proposed Endowment Tax Hike Is Lower Than House Bill’s Hike
June 13, 2025
- Senate’s Budget Proposal for Higher Education Is Similar to House Version But Includes Notable Differences
- Colleges Can Directly Pay Athletes Starting July 1
- Trump Administration Proposes Cutting Tribal Colleges’ Funding by Almost 90%
June 5, 2025
- Trump Administration’s New Travel Ban Impacts International Students and Scholars from Specific Countries
- Education Department’s FY26 Budget Request Would Decrease Pell Grant Awards and Increase Employers’ Payment Responsibilities for Federal Work Study
- State Department Announces They Will “Aggressively Revoke” Chinese Students’ Visas
May 28, 2025
- Trump Administration Pauses New Student Visa Interviews As It Weighs Social Media Vetting Requirements
- Trump Administration Continues Retaliatory Attacks Against Harvard
- Reconciliation Bill—Which Includes Massive Impacts for Higher Education—Clears House and Heads To Senate
- Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction To Prevent Dismantling of ED and
Reinstate Staff - Accrediting Bodies Suspend Diversity Requirements
- ICE Targets International Students with Optional Practical Training Visas
- Department of Defense Planning to Cap Indirect Cost Reimbursement Rates
for Institutions at 15%
May 14, 2025
- House Republicans Finalize Plan for Steep Tax on University Endowments, Up to 21%
- Tensions Between Harvard and ED Continue To Escalate As Harvard Adds More to Its Lawsuit
- ED Initiates Title IX Investigation into Western Carolina University
- Federal Student Aid Office Warns Institutions Could Lose Access To Federal Student Aid If Too Many Former Students Default on Loans
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