Washington Update December 2025

House Education and Workforce Committee Holds Markup on Higher Education Bills

On December 11, 2025, the House Education and Workforce Committee marked up four bills related to higher education:

• The Student Financial Clarity Act (H.R. 6498) was introduced by Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Congressman Bob Onder (R-MO), and Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA), to address price transparency in higher education. It passed the Committee with a vote of 27 to 6 and would:
  • • Create a Universal Net Price Calculator, which would allow students to answer a set of financial and academic questions to receive personalized cost estimates for institutions and programs of study.
    • Provide a central location for students to compare costs at one or more schools and programs of study, specific to their financial situation.
    • Expand the College Scorecard to require additional information on program-level statistics, allowing students to compare student costs, outcomes, and financial aid at institutions and specific programs of study.
• The College Financial Aid Clarity Act (H.R. 6502) was introduced by Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Congresswoman Young Kim (R-CA) to improve transparency in college offer letters. It passed the Committee with a vote of 23 to 10 and would:
  • • Require the Department of Education to develop a standardized, consumer-tested format for all college financial aid offers.
    • Mandate all institutions receiving federal funds to use this transparent format starting July 1, 2029.
    • Ensure plain-language, consistent terminology across all schools, with a clear separation of:
      • • Grants and scholarships versus loans
        • Required program costs versus optional cost of attendance items
        • Subsidized versus unsubsidized loan types
    • Require disclosures of interest rates, fees, work-study eligibility, and annual/total net price.
    • Provide families with clear instructions for accepting, declining, or adjusting aid, without allowing institutions to treat electronic confirmations as acceptance.
    • Align cost of attendance definitions with program-specific metrics and strengthen compliance in institutions’ federal program participation agreements.
• The Homeschool Graduation Recognition Act (H.R. 6392) was introduced by Congressman Mark Harris (R-NC) to close a legal loophole that is purportedly being used by colleges to discriminate against homeschooled students. It passed the Committee with a vote of 33-0.
• The Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act (H.R. 6472) was introduced by Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam), Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-Northern Mariana Islands), Congressman Pablo Hernández (D-Puerto Rico), and Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) to provide students in U.S. territories in-state tuition rates at other U.S. Title IV institutions. It passed the Committee with a vote of 32-1.

Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said that OBBBA will lead to “real progress” in restoring public trust in higher education.  After the markup, Chair Walberg said:

“Republicans remain committed to expanding access to high-quality education while increasing transparency.  Homeschooled students often score higher than traditional students—but current law creates confusion about whether these students are high school graduates, diminishing their hard work.  Rep. Harris’ bill fixes that, while Rep. Moylan’s bill creates new opportunities for residents of U.S. territories to receive in-state tuition rates.  These are simple higher education reforms that greatly expand educational access in the U.S. and its territories.”

“Additionally, the Committee passed two bills that provide students and borrowers with greater college cost transparency.  Too often, students are misled and overpay for degrees that under-deliver.  The Student Financial Clarity Act, from Rep. Guthrie and Rep. Onder, and the College Financial Aid Clarity Act, from Rep. McClain and Rep. Kim, provide common-sense solutions that will make it easier for families to know what they’re expected to pay and whether a degree is worth the cost.  These bills make college costs and financial aid clearer so students can plan smarter, avoid surprises, and get more value for their money.”

Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ranking Member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said that OBBBA would make college unattainable for millions of students, citing the elimination of Grad PLUS loans, caps on Parent PLUS loans, and Pell Grant eligibility changes.

“We are all aware of the polls that show that many believe that college is not worth the cost.  The solution should not be to ignore that fact.  We should make college more affordable rather than have students cut their education short because they cannot afford the cost.  Bills that explain the cost do not reduce the cost, any more than — as a farmer would say — weighing the pig does not make the pig fatter.”

The bills will proceed to the House floor for further consideration.

Democratic Senators Urge Secretary McMahon to Reverse ED’s Six New Interagency Agreements

On December 4, 2025, over 30 Democratic Senators sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, urging her to reverse the Department of Education’s six new interagency agreements (IAAs).  The text of the letter is included in a press release from Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).  The Senators argued that the Department of Education’s efforts to dismantle the Department “are outrageous, illegal, and will jeopardize the funding and support that tens of millions of students, teachers, and families across the country rely on.  Your brazen attempt to dismantle the Department by transferring to other federal agencies complex and foundational responsibilities that Congress specifically charged to the Department – including more than half of all federal funds for elementary and secondary education programs and billions in higher education funding – will undermine public education.”

On November 18, 2025, the Department announced six IAAs aimed at transferring several of ED’s responsibilities to the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services (HHS), and State, with the aim of streamlining the education programs, reducing administrative burden, and refocusing programs and activities.  However, the Senators said:  “Let’s be very clear:  You are choosing to create more bureaucracy that states, school districts, and educational institutions across America will have to expend time and resources navigating at the expense of students and families.”  The Senators also claimed that these IAAs would create more confusion rather than streamlining the process since many agencies have no prior experience in administering education programs.

Senator Warren Asks ED OIG to Investigate Recent Agreements to Outsource Grant Programs

On November 23, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter, which is included in a press release, to Heidi Semann, Acting Inspector General for the Department of Education, urging her to investigate the dismantling of the Department of Education following her own efforts to investigate the dismantling of ED.  Senator Warren also argued that the layoffs at ED might have worsened customer service for student loan borrowers.  Further, Senator Warren asks the OIG to investigate whether ED is protecting students from “predatory for-profit colleges that lie about employment outcomes or provide low-quality, high-cost vocational programs that fail to advance students’ employment prospects.”  In addition, Senator Warren asked whether the layoffs have left students vulnerable to illegal discrimination.  Finally, the Senator asked the ED OIG to examine how ED determined which responsibilities to relinquish through the interagency agreements, whether ED has violated federal law, and how the interagency agreements are affecting ED’s ability to administer its programs efficiently and effectively.  Senator Warren’s letter directly opposes the transfer of the offices and their programs and she wrote:  “The dismantling of ED (referring to the U.S. Department of Education) – including ED’s recent move to transfer a range of statutory duties to other agencies – threatens devastating consequences for students, borrowers, and families.”

Over 40 Senators and Representatives Urge Trump Administration to End Plans to Sell Federal Student Loan Portfolio

On November 17, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) issued a press release on behalf or herself, Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and over 40 of their colleagues, which included a text of a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, urging them to immediately end plans to sell or transfer the federal student loan portfolio to the private market.  According to the letter, “Let’s be clear:  This sale would be a giveaway to wealthy insiders at the expense of working-class borrowers and taxpayers…It threatens the loss of borrowers’ legally guaranteed protections, and the sale would likely be illegal if the debt is sold at a loss for taxpayers.”

Democratic Senators Urge Treasury Secretary to Stop Imminent “Tax Bomb” for Student Loan Borrowers

On November 10, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, along with eight other Senate Democrats, sent a letter to Secretary of Treasury and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent, urging him to use the IRS’s existing legal authorities to stop the looming “tax bomb” facing borrowers who obtain income-driven repayment (IDR) discharges of their student loan debt.  The press release, which includes the text of the letter, said that in 2021, Congress passed into law a provision excluding student debt cancellation from taxable income.  However, that provision is set to expire on December 31, 2025.  Absent action from President Trump or Congress, this expiration will mean that borrowers on IDR plans who have legally earned debt cancellation after 20 to 25 years will face significant tax bills.  “The Senators also reminded Secretary Bessent that in 2020, the Trump Administration delivered similar relief to recipients of closed school discharge and borrower defense to repayment, excluding those discharges from taxable income using its administrative authorities.”

Federal Student Aid Conference Delayed Until March

On December 15, 2025, the Department of Education announced the return of the in-person Federal Student Aid (FSA) training conference, which will be held from March 4-6, 2026, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.  The announcement states that it will provide more details in the coming weeks, including registration information.

Consensus Reached on Workforce Pell Package

On December 12, 2025, the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-Driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee reached consensus on the entire package, which focused on the Workforce Pell program. All negotiators held up their thumbs in support of the entire package, except for the representative of the state higher education executive officers, state authorizing agencies, and other state regulators, who held his thumb sideways, which means an abstention.  Since the Committee reached consensus, ED is required to use the agreed-upon language in its proposed regulations. Nicholas Kent, Under Secretary of Education, thanked the negotiators and said: “We reached consensus in just four and a half days, when many doubted our condensed timeframe – think tanks, blog writers, and even the media predicted that we would need weeks, if not months, to get this right.”  In a press release, Under Secretary Kent said: “This [regulatory] framework will strengthen connections between higher education, states, and employers to enable more students to graduate from high-quality, short-term programs with skills needed to succeed in our economy.”

The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) will propose the agreed-upon specifics to the general criteria of the Workforce Pell program:

• Have existed for one year prior to approval;
• Be eight to 14 weeks in length and 150 to 599 clock hours;
• Lead to a recognized postsecondary credential including a certificate or license;
• Be deemed part of an in-demand, high-skill or high-wage industry by the governor in the state where students will be studying;
• Count as credit toward a subsequent degree at one or more institutions in a written agreement;
• Not outsource more than 25 percent of the program to an unaccredited provider;
• Pass a federal value-added earnings test that says tuition rates cannot be higher than the difference between a graduate’s average earnings and 150 percent of the poverty line; and
• Pass a 70 percent completion and 70 percent job placement test using state-collected data.

The AHEAD Committee will meet again in-person for its second session on January 5-9, 2026, where the Committee will focus on other issues enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including changes in institutional and programmatic measures, financial value transparency (FVT) and gainful employment (GE), and the exclusion of Pell Grant eligibility for students with a high Student Aid Index (SAI).

The NPRM will reflect the proposals from both sessions and will seek public comments. ED plans to issue the final regulations in late spring 2026.

ED Prevents More Than $1 Billion in Federal Student Aid Fraud Since January 2025

On December 11, 2025, the Department of Education announced that it has prevented $1 billion in federal student aid fraud since January 2025.  Earlier this year, the Trump Administration implemented enhanced fraud controls governing how institutions of higher education distribute financial assistance, including mandatory identity verification for certain first-time student applicants.  This effort has halted more than $1 billion in attempted financial aid fraudsters, which include coordinated international fraud rings and AI bots pretending to be students.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said:  “From day one, the Trump Administration has been committed to rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government.  As a result, $1 billion in taxpayer funds will now support students pursuing the American dream, rather than falling into the hands of criminals.  Merry Christmas, taxpayers!”

ED Requests Feedback on How to Reenvision the Accreditation Handbook

On December 10, 2025, the Department of Education announced that it issued a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register on how best to reenvision and update the Accreditation Handbook. “By updating the Handbook, the Department continues to advance its goal of significantly reforming the accreditation system through reduction of unduly burdensome and bureaucratic requirements and increasing transparency and efficiency.”  The Federal Register Notice was published on December 11, 2025, with a January 26, 2026 deadline for public comments.

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Dr. David Barker said:  “Instead of driving high-quality programs that better serve students, the antiquated accreditation system has led to inflated tuition costs and fees, administrative bloat, and ideology-driven initiatives at colleges across the country.”

The RFI invites commenters to address the following questions:

• What policies or standards are encouraging innovation or reducing college costs within the postsecondary education sector and should be retained in or added to the new version of the Handbook?  How can the Handbook be designed to be less burdensome?
• Is the Handbook serving its intended purpose?  How can it better assist accrediting agencies and associations in evaluating the quality of educational institutions and programs or in applying for Federal recognition?
• How could accreditation standards be updated to incentivize intellectual diversity on campus?  What guidance or standards, if any, can the Handbook provide to institutions and programs to help achieve this goal?
• What methods should be incorporated into the Handbook to determine appropriate assessment benchmarks, and what data sources or validation methods could be used to ensure those benchmarks reflect student competency?
• The Department invites interested stakeholders to provide comments over the next 45 days on how best to streamline the recognition process and guidance for accreditors.

The Accreditation Handbook was last updated in February 2022, and ED intends to revise it again to comply with updated guidance and policy changes while incorporating feedback from the public and to align with Administration priorities.

ED Publishes 2025-2026 Award Deadline Dates

On December 10, 2025, the Department of Education published a Notice in the Federal Register for the receipt of documents and other information from applicants and institutions participating in Title IV federal student aid programs for the 2025-2026 award year.  Table A provides information and deadline dates for receipt of the FAFSA form, corrections to, and signatures for the FAFSA form, ISIRs, and FAFSA Submission Summary, and verification documents.  Table B provides the deadline dates by which an institution must submit disbursement information for the Pell Grant, Direct Loan, and TEACH Grant Programs.

ED Announces Agreement with State of Missouri to End the Biden Administration’s SAVE Plan

On December 9, 2025, the Department of Education announced a proposed joint settlement agreement with the State of Missouri that would end the Biden Administration’s illegal Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan.  The SAVE Plan was the Biden Administration’s third and final attempt at mass federal student loan forgiveness, and it was blocked repeatedly by both the district and appeals courts.  The press release said that the SAVE Plan would have cost taxpayers more than $342 billion over ten years.  As part of the settlement, the Department agreed to not enroll any new borrowers in the SAVE Plan, to deny any pending applications, and to move all SAVE borrowers into other repayment plans authorized under federal law.

Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said:  “For four years, the Biden Administration sought to unlawfully shift student loan debt onto American taxpayers, many of whom either never took out a loan to finance their postsecondary education or never even went to college themselves, simply for a political win to prop up a failing Administration.”

If the parties’ joint proposal is approved by the court, borrowers currently enrolled in the SAVE Plan will have a limited time period to select a new repayment plan and begin repaying their student loans.  Federal Student Aid (FSA) will assist borrowers who were enrolled in the SAVE Plan as they select a new repayment option.

FSA Launches New Lower Earnings Indicator to Support Students and Families in Making College Decisions

On December 8, 2025, Federal Student Aid (FSA) issued an Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-25-49) announcing it has implemented a new lower earnings indicator as part of the FASFA process.  This lower earnings indicator provides students with additional information about the typical earnings of graduates from schools they are considering.  This lower earnings indicator applies only to first-year undergraduate students and identifies schools where graduates’ median earnings are lower than those of typical high school graduates in the same state, or lower than those of typical high school graduates nationally if the school serves primarily out-of-state students.  The earnings indicator uses earnings data from the College Scorecard, with an adjustment for inflation to June 2025 dollars.

The lower earnings indicator only appears after a FAFSA form has been processed.  If the institution’s average earnings are below the average high school graduate, the form will generate a “lower earnings” disclosure.  Therefore, this information will not affect FAFSA completion rates or Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) submissions.  Schools can view the data used for the earnings indicator on the FSA Data Center:  StudentAid.gov/data-center/school/earnings.

The Department of Education issued a press release announcing the new earnings indicator to complement the FAFSA process.  Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said:  “More than half of all Americans now say a college degree is not worth the price, and total outstanding student loan debt is approaching $1.7 trillion.  Families deserve a clearer picture of how postsecondary education connects to real-world earnings, and this new indicator will provide that transparency.”

Nicholas Kent, Under Secretary of Education, released a blog post to introduce the new earnings indicator to complement the FAFSA process.  Under Secretary Kent said: “Postsecondary education is one of the most important investments a student can make, but it does come at a cost.  The new earnings indicator helps illuminate how graduates’ typical earnings compare with those of high school graduates.”  Under Secretary Kent explained that starting December 7, 2025, first-year undergraduate students may see a “lower earnings” disclosure in their FAFSA Submission Summary after they complete the FAFSA form:

• “A school receives this flag when the median earnings of its graduates, four years after graduation, are below the median earnings of high-school graduates in the same state. For schools that serve mostly out-of-state students, the comparison is made using the national median for high-school earnings.
• Clicking on the notice provides students detailed earnings information for all the schools listed on their FAFSA form. From there, students can choose to leave their selections as is, remove a flagged school, or add other institutions.”

According to a December 9, 2025, article in Inside Higher Ed, “about 23 percent of the nearly 5,900 educational institutions in the department’s database will be labeled as lower earnings.  Those colleges enroll fewer than 3 percent of undergraduates and receive about $2 billion federal student aid annually.”  The article also indicated that most of the institutions that are flagged for lower earnings are for-profit institutions and beauty schools.

FSA Announces Implementation of the Next Phase of Enhancements to the E-App

On November 26, 2025, updated on December 8, 2025, Federal Student Aid (FSA) issued an Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-25-45) announcing changes made to the E-App on FSA Partner Connect.  These enhancements to the E-App apply to any E-App submitted on or after December 7, 2025.  The December 2025 updates include the following:

• New Self-Certifications are as follows:
  • Policy and Procedures: Partners will self-certify to the accuracy of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy, the Return of Title IV Funds Policy, Refund Policy, and Admissions Policy.
  • Debarment List: Partners will self-certify that individuals on the ECAR are not listed on the U.S. Government’s Debarment list found at SAM.gov.
  • Gainful Employment: Partners will self-certify that each GE program meets the requirements of 34 C.F.R. § 668.604(d).
  • Prison Education Program (PEP): Partners will self-certify that information about each PEP is true and correct, and the institution will remain in compliance with PEP requirements.
• Personal Information No Longer Required for All Officials: Only the institution’s president and one additional official will need to provide personal information as a precaution in the event of a national disaster, a major security breach, or school closure.
• General Improvements: FSA is improving text and the user experience throughout the E-App.

ED is Denied Extension Request in Borrower Defense Claims Case

On November 6, 2025, the National Council of Higher Education Resources (NCHER) reported that the Department of Education requested that Federal Judge William Alsup for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, who is overseeing the Sweet v. McMahon case, grant an 18-month extension on the implementation of the borrower defense settlement from 2022.  The original settlement required the Department of Education to complete a review of student loan borrowers to determine their eligibility for student loan relief by January 2026.  According to the settlement agreement, borrowers would be entitled to automatic student loan forgiveness if the Department does not complete their adjudications by that date.

The settlement ultimately divided borrowers into three groups:  about 200,000 borrowers who would receive automatic relief for those attending specific institutions; a second group of borrowers was promised timely decisions, which were reported as “most resolved;” and the third group that includes 207,000 people, who filed borrower defense claims after the settlement was made, but before it received court approval.  The request for an extension applies to the third group, which would extend the deadline by 18 months until July 28, 2027.  Under Secretary Nicholas Kent was reported to have said:  “Although the Department has complied with the Court’s deadlines in good faith, the upcoming January deadline is unreasonable…Without adequate time to review each outstanding borrower defense case, taxpayers could be forced to shoulder $6 billion in windfall discharges for ineligible borrowers, based on the Department’s current adjudication pattern.”

On December 15, 2025, NCHER reported that Judge Alsup declined to provide an extension on the claims filed by borrowers who attended one of the 151 institutions that ED previously said had strong indications of engaging in “substantial misconduct.” For the remaining claims, Judge Alsup granted a 2-and-a-half-month delay, giving ED until April 15, 2026, to make a decision.

FSA Announces New Reporting Portal for Reporting of Foreign Gifts and Contracts Under Section 117 of the HEA

On December 1, 2025, the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) issued an Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-25-46) regarding the launch of a new reporting portal on January 2, 2026, for reporting foreign gifts and contracts under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).  Section 117 of the HEA provides that institutions of higher education must file a disclosure report with the Department of Education whenever the institution is owned or controlled by a foreign source or receives a gift from or enters into a contract with a foreign source, the value of which is $250,000 or more within a calendar year.  In an effort to update and improve the Section 117 reporting portal, ED will launch a new reporting portal on January 2, 2026.

Understanding the community will have questions about the new Section 117 reporting portal, ED will be providing training opportunities, additional electronic announcements, and contact information if institutions have technical questions or access issues.  Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-25-47) of December 3, 2025, announced that the new Section 117 Foreign Gifts and Contracts Reporting Portal would be going live on January 2, 2026, and the current portal would be disabled on December 16, 2025.

ED Announces Five Appointments to NACIQI

On November 25, 2025, the Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced the appointment of five new members to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI).  These five include higher education experts Robert Eitel, Joshua Figueira, Dr. Jay Greene, and Dr. Steven Taylor as well as the student representative, Emilee Reynolds.  Biographies are included in the press release.  The appointees will serve a six-year term and “take on a pivotal role in assessing the process of accreditation and the institutional eligibility and certification of institutions of higher education.”

Under Secretary Nicholas Kent said:  “Americans recognize that the accreditation process needs reform to better serve students and families, and the Trump Administration is addressing this, in part, through these reform-minded appointees.”

ED Sets the Record Straight Regarding the Treatment of Nursing Programs and Graduate Level Student Loans

On November 24, 2025, the Department of Education released a press release to “set the record straight regarding the proposed treatment of nursing programs under new lending limits established by the Act.”  ED explained that there has been “fear mongering about the Department of Education supposedly excluding nursing degrees from being eligible for graduate student loans.”  ED stated that it is a myth that the Trump Administration does not view nurses as professionals because they are not classified as a “professional degree.”  However, the Fact Sheet asserts that the definition of “professional degree” is an internal definition that distinguishes among programs that qualify for higher loan limits, and it is not a judgement about the importance of programs.  The definition does not determine whether a program is professional or not.

ED notes that the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the issue of whether nursing programs are professional degree programs or not after it issues the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) early next year.  ED may make changes based on the public comments.

ED Publishes Call for Third-Party Comments on Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review

On November 21, 2025, the Department of Education published a Notice in the Federal Register calling for third-party comments for accrediting agencies currently undergoing review for the purpose of recognition by the Secretary of Education.  Comments are due by December 21, 2025.

Applications for renewal of recognition include:

• American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric Medical Education
• Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
• Council on Chiropractic Education, Commission on Accreditation
• Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology

Compliance Reports

• Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training
• American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education
• National Association of Schools of Dance, Commission on Accreditation
• National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation
• National Association of Schools of Theater, Commission on Accreditation

Secretary of Education and University Leaders Participate in Higher Education Roundtable at the White House

On November 18, 2025, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent participated in a roundtable discussion with university leaders, think tank professionals, and education advocates about the need for bold reforms to restore public confidence in higher education, according to a November 19^th press release from the Department of Education.  The roundtable, titled, “Administrative Bloat and Low-Value Programs:  How U.S. Universities are Failing American Families and How They Can Reform,” was hosted at the White House and included dozens of additional stakeholders.

In addition to discussing the key provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Secretary McMahon and Under Secretary Kent highlighted the challenges facing students and families under America’s outdated higher education system.  Secretary of Education said:

“It was an honor to meet with education leaders today to discuss how we can revitalize Americans’ dwindling faith in postsecondary education.  Staggering increases in tuition rates, dismal earnings outcomes for many degrees, and wasteful spending on armies of administrators and DEI programs all underline the urgent need for bold reforms.  Universities must refocus their operations to deliver high-value credentials and a better return on investment for the next generation of Americans.”

Department Announces Six New Agency Partnerships to Break Up Department of Education

On November 18, 2025, the Department of Education announced six new interagency agreements (IAAs) with four agencies to break up the Department of Education.  The press release includes links to fact sheets about each of the partnerships.  ED’s engagement in new partnerships with the Departments of Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), Health and Human Services (HHS), and State “mark a major step toward improving the management of select ED programs by leveraging partner agencies’ administrative expertise and experience working with relevant stakeholders.”  These agreements follow an earlier workforce development partnership with DOL.

• ED and DOL: Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership to empower parents and states, promote innovation, and deliver program improvements in pursuit of better outcomes for students.
• ED and DOL: Postsecondary Education Partnership to better coordinate postsecondary education and workforce development programs.
• ED and DOI: Indian Education Partnership to improve Native American education.
• ED and HHS: Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership to determine whether the standards of accreditation for foreign medical schools are comparable with the medical school standards in the U.S.
• ED and HHS: Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Partnership to improve on-campus child care support for parents enrolled in college.
• ED and State: International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership to improve efficiencies for programs administered under the Fulbright-Hays grant.

To date, Federal Student Aid (FSA), which oversees the federal student loan and Pell Grant programs, is unaffected by the transfers to other federal agencies.

FSA Announces Resumption of Normal Operations

On November 17, 2025, Federal Student Aid (FSA) announced that it was resuming normal operations since the federal government is funded.  The Electronic Announcement (GENERAL-25-43) stated that if a deadline was missed during the shutdown due to circumstances beyond the school’s control, it should be documented with the appropriate customer service contact center, and FSA will work with the school.  In addition, ED is planning to publish guidance and operational information in October and November for verification and acceptable documentation for the 2026-2027 award year and the 2025-2026 award year deadline dates.

Department Announces Richard Lucas to Serve as the Acting Chief Operating Officer of FSA

On November 14, 2025, the Department of Education released a press release announcing Richard Lucas to serve as the Acting Operating Officer of Federal Student Aid (FSA).  Mr. Lucas previously served as Chief Financial Officer of FSA.  FSA is responsible for managing the administrative and oversight functions of the programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, and will help implement the provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said:  “We are proud to appoint Richard Lucas to lead Federal Student Aid at this pivotal moment in student aid reforms.  President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act not only simplifies student loan repayment, but creates key accountability measures that will ensure transparency and hold institutions accountable for poor student outcomes.”

ED Publishes Notice Announcing its Intent to Limit Expanded Reporting Requirements for Admissions Data Only to Four-Year Institutions

On November 13, 2025, the Department of Education published a Notice in the Federal Register, announcing its intent to limit the expanded IPEDS reporting requirements for admissions data disaggregated by race and sex only to four-year institutions.  ED further proposes that “otherwise eligible institutions that admit 100 percent of their applicants and do not award non-need-based aid be exempted from a given collection year.”  The deadline for comment is December 15, 2025.

Currently, IPEDS only requires institutions to submit data on race for enrolled students.  The new proposal would require institutions to report on data for applicants, both admitted and enrolled, by race and sex.  Additionally, institutions would have to cross-reference the data with admissions test scores, GPA, family income, Pell Grant eligibility, and parents’ education level.  The proposal would require institutions to back-track data starting with the 2020-2021 academic year and into any future reporting cycles.  The White House indicated that its intent is to ascertain whether or not institutions of higher education are using race-based preferencing in their admissions processes.

Previously, on August 7, 2025, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum entitled, “Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admissions.”  On the same day, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon issued a directive to NCES to initiate changes to IPEDS during the 2025-2026 school year.

Transportation Secretary Announces Removal of Illegal Providers of Commercial Driver’s License Test Training Centers

On December 1, 2025, Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy announced the removal of nearly 3,000 commercial driver’s license (CDL) training providers from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Training Provider Registry (TPR) for failing to equip trainees with the Trump Administration’s standards of readiness.  Another 4,500 training providers were placed on notice due to potential noncompliance.  Training providers that receive a notice of proposed removal have 30 days to respond to FMCSA and provide evidence of compliance to avoid removal from the registry.

CDL Training Providers are being removed from the TPR due to:

• Falsifying or manipulating training data
• Neglecting to meet required curriculum standards, facility conditions, or instructor qualifications
• Failing to maintain accurate, complete documentation or refusing to provide records during federal audits or investigations.

VA Announces Reinstatement of GI Bill Benefits to Veterans Discharged for Refusing the COVID Vaccine

On November 17, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that potentially thousands of Veterans who were discharged from service by the Biden Administration for refusing the COVID vaccine may regain eligibility for GI Bill education benefits.  The Biden Administration separated more than 8,000 service members from the military because they had refused to comply with the COVID vaccine mandate.

In January 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14184, Reinstating Service Members Discharged Under the Military’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate.  Following that, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the military departments to facilitate discharge upgrades for individuals involuntarily separated solely for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and whose service was characterized as less than fully honorable.

NCAN Reports Increase in FAFSA Submissions

According to data compiled by the National College Attainment Network’s (NCAN) annual FAFSA tracker, 26 percent of high school seniors had submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by November 21, 2025, representing an 11.7 percent increase over the same time in 2022.  FAFSA completion rates vary by school and community demographics.  Students attending high-income high schools are submitting FAFSAs at a higher rate (27.8 percent) compared to students attending low-income high schools (22.1 percent).  Students attending high school in cities show a lower submission rate (21.8 percent) compared with suburban (26.4 percent), rural (24.5 percent), and small-town high schools (23.7 percent).

Report Shows Downward International Student Enrollment Trends

On November 17, 2025, the Institute of International Education released a press release announcing the availability of the Open Doors 2025 Report on International Educational Exchange, International students accounted for 6 percent of the total higher education population in the 2024-2025 academic year, and contributed nearly $55 billion to the U.S. economy in 2024.  They supported more than 355,000 jobs.  The United States remains the top destination for international students globally.

The report found:

• The number of graduate students (488,481) pursuing master’s or doctorate degrees decreased by 3 percent. The number of undergraduate students grew by 4 percent to 357,231.  More than half or 57 percent of international students across the academic levels pursued STEM fields of study.
• There were 363,019 international students from India in the U.S. in 2024-2025, a 10 percent increase. China was second with 265,919 students, a 4 percent decline.
• International students studied in all 50 states, with the largest growth in Texas (up 8 percent), Illinois (up 7 percent), and Missouri (up 11 percent).
• Most international students or 59 percent attended public institutions, while community colleges experienced the fastest growth (up 8 percent).

Over 825 U.S. higher education institutions participated in the Fall 2025 Snapshot, providing an initial look into international student numbers for the 2025-2026 academic year.  These institutions report a 1 percent decline in international student totals in fall 2025.  Undergraduate international enrollments are up by 2 percent, while graduate international enrollments have decreased by 12 percent.  New enrollments of international students declined by 17 percent.  Institutions reported that they are continuing to focus on international student recruitment, citing the value of international students’ perspectives on campus (81 percent) and their financial contributions (60 percent).

Northwestern University Reaches Settlement with Trump Administration

Northwestern University reached an agreement with the Trump Administration to pay the federal government $75 million and agreed to adhere to federal antidiscrimination laws and to not give preferences in admissions, scholarships, hiring or promotion based on race, color, or national origin; to maintain free speech policies; and to mandate antisemitism training for all students, faculty, and staff.  University officials also reversed a 2024 agreement with pro-Palestinian student protesters in which the University agreed to provide more support for Muslim, Middle Eastern and North African students and greater transparency.  The settlement also prohibits Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine from performing hormonal interventions and transgender surgeries on minor patients, which they said was not a change in practice.  In response, the Trump Administration agreed to restore $79 million research funding.

Northwestern University is now the sixth university to reach an agreement with the Trump Administration, following settlements with the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Brown University, the University of Virginia, and Cornell University.

Two More UNC System Campuses Join the New Accrediting Agency

According to an announcement of November 20, 2025 in “the Assembly,” Appalachian State University and North Carolina Central University are applying to join the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE), the accrediting agency that the University of North Carolina (UNC) System and several other Southern States are seeking to establish.  Appalachian State University and North Carolina Central University join University of North Carolina Charlotte as three of the initial cohort of ten universities, which also include three institutions in Florida, two in Georgia, and two in Texas.  UNC System officials guided the development of CPHE for more than a year before the effort was announced in June 2025.  The CPHE leaders have said the agency will reduce the financial and administrative burdens placed on campuses under their current accreditors.  The announcement said that CPHE expects to work with an additional cohort of institutions that will submit applications next year.