Higher Ed Shakeup: Admissions Overhaul, Flat Aid, For-Profit Changes

This week’s top story from the U.S. Department of Education is a major shake-up in higher education policy, as the Trump Administration has sent its new “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” to nine prominent universities including MIT, Brown, and University of Texas at Austin. Under this compact, these institutions face sweeping new requirements: banning consideration of race, sex, and political views in undergraduate admissions—with narrow exceptions for single-sex and religious schools—capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15 percent, and freezing published tuition and fees. Undergraduate applicants must now take standardized tests to ensure admissions decisions rest only on objective criteria.

These changes, according to the Department, are meant to “restore merit-based opportunity and uphold fairness” across American higher education. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said, “We are committed to making American higher education a vibrant marketplace of ideas, where different views can be explored, debated, and challenged.” The compact does not address graduate admissions, but it signals a significant shift in how universities operate and represent American values on the world stage.

In Congress, there’s no new money for student aid next year as the Senate Appropriations Committee set the Pell Grant maximum at $7,395—the same as last year—while funding for campus work-study and supplemental grants stays flat. Lawmakers have until September 30th to pass a broader spending bill or risk a government shutdown, which could threaten education programs nationwide.

There’s also movement on the 90/10 rule, which affects for-profit colleges. The Department issued a new interpretation that allows revenue from ineligible distance education programs to count toward a school’s non-federal funding requirements, a clarification meant to address widespread confusion and compliance challenges.

On the program front, the Department announced its largest ever investment in the Charter Schools Grants Program, as well as new funding for American history initiatives and support for Historically Black and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities. Secretary McMahon said these funds come “from programs not in the best interest of students and families,” aiming instead to boost successful educational models.

For American families and students, these developments could mean fairer, more merit-focused admissions and a steady but not rising tide of federal aid. Universities and colleges face immediate operational, legal, and financial uncertainties, while businesses and the international recruiting landscape may see ripple effects as foreign enrollment caps reshape talent flows and partnerships.

The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity will meet October 21 to review accreditation reports and discuss policy priorities. This is one to watch for anyone interested in accountability and quality in higher education.

If you want to weigh in, check federalregister.gov for open comment periods—your voice can help shape these policies. For further details and updates, visit the Department of Education’s newsroom.

Thanks for tuning in. Make sure to subscribe for your weekly education policy roundup. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

For more http://www.quietplease.ai

Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week's top story from the US Department of Education
is a major shake up in higher education policy, as
the Trump administration has sent its new Compact for Academic
Excellence in Higher Education to nine prominent universities, including MIT,
Brown and University of Texas at Austin. Under this Compact,

(00:20):
these institutions face sweeping new requirements banning consideration of race, sex,
and political views in undergraduate admissions, with narrow exceptions for
single sex and religious schools, capping international undergraduate enrollment at
fifteen percent, and freezing published tuition and fees. Undergraduate applicants

(00:42):
must now take standardized tests to ensure admissions decisions rest
only on objective criteria. These changes, according to the Department,
are meant to restore merit based opportunity and uphold fairness
across American higher education. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said,
we are committed to making American higher education a vibrant

(01:03):
marketplace of ideas where different views can be explored, debated,
and challenged. The Compact does not address graduate admissions, but
it signals a significant shift in how universities operate and
represent American values on the world stage. In Congress, there's
no new money for student aid next year, as the
Senate Appropriations Committee set the pelgrant maximum at seven thousand,

(01:26):
three hundred and ninety five dollars, the same as last year,
while funding for campus work steady and supplemental grants stays flat.
Lawmakers have until September thirtieth to pass a broader spending
bill or risk a government shutdown, which could threaten education
programs nationwide. There's also movement on the ninety ten rule,
which affects for profit colleges. The Department issued a new

(01:48):
interpretation that allows revenue from ineligible distance education programs to
count toward a school's non federal funding requirements, a clarification
meant to address widespread confusion and compliance challenges on the
program front. The Department announced its largest ever investment in
the charter school's grants program, as well as new funding
for American history initiatives and support for historically black and

(02:10):
tribally controlled colleges and universities. Secretary McMahon said these funds
come from programs not in the best interest of students
and families, aiming instead to boost successful educational models for
American families and students. These developments could mean fairer, more
merit focused admissions, and a steady but not rising tie
of federal aid. Universities and colleges face immediate operational, legal,

(02:34):
and financial uncertainties, while businesses and the international recruiting landscape
may see ripple effects as foreign enrollment caps, reshaped talent
flows and partnerships. The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality
and Integrity will meet October twenty first to review accreditation
reports and discuss policy priorities. This is one to watch

(02:54):
for anyone interested in accountability and quality and higher education.
If you want to weigh in, check Federalregister dot gov
for opencomment periods. Your voice can help shape these policies.
For further details and updates, visit the Department of Education's newsroom.
Thanks for tuning in. Make sure to subscribe for your

(03:15):
weekly education policy roundup. This has been a quiet please production.
For more check out Quiet Please dot ai