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Questions about the future of federal TRIO programs—academic and support services for low-income, first-generation, and disabled students—come up more than almost any other topic on the podcast. We're joined this week by Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education, for a conversation about where TRIO stands and what may be ahead. We begin with some speculation on whether or not we're heading toward a partial government shutdown, and the latest on the Department of Education's moves on accreditation. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Contact Congress to Urge a Broader Professional Degree Definition 2026 Winter Term Pulse Point Survey (PDF) Appropriations House Passes FY 2026 Spending Package Preserving Education and Research Funding as Senate Showdown Looms  ACE | Jan. 26, 2026 ACE, Higher Ed Groups Urge Congress to Safeguard FY 2026 Education Funding  ACE | Oct. 1, 2025 Letter to Congress on MSI Funding  ACE | Oct. 3, 2025 Legal Updates Education Dept. Drops Appeal of Court Order Blocking Anti-DEI Guidance  Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 22, 2026 Higher Ed Groups Back Harvard in Appeal Challenging Trump Proclamation on International Students  ACE | Jan. 21, 2026 Accreditation U.S. Department of Education Announces Negotiated Rulemaking to Reform and Strengthen America's Higher Education Accreditation System  Department of Education | Jan. 26, 2026 ED Eyes Rewrite of Accreditation Rules  Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 27, 2026 Comments on the Education Department's Proposed Revisions to the Accreditation Handbook ACE | Jan. 26, 2026 NACIQI Members Stalemate on Picking New Chair Republic Report (December 2025) TRIO Council for Opportunity in Education and TRIO Programs COE Trio Advocacy Congressional Outreach Packet Federal Court Orders Reconsideration of Canceled TRIO Grants Inside Higher Ed | Jan . 20, 2026 Trump's DEI Crackdown Closes 120 TRIO Programs Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 27, 2025 Trump Administration Delays $660M for College Access Programs  Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 12 2025

Valerie Fuller, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, visited the podcast to talk about how new federal loan limits will change what graduate students can borrow and why nursing may no longer be considered a professional degree. The hosts also looked at the appropriations outlook on Capitol Hill, negotiations on rulemaking to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill, and more. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Graduate Loan Limits Valerie Fuller, president of American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)  Graduate and Professional Student Loan Limits Under the OBBB National Nurse Practitioner Organizations Express Concern Over Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking Nov. 21, 2025 AANP Advocacy Center Bills Introduced to Address Changes to Graduate Lending Programs  NAICU Washington Update | Dec. 19, 2025 Nurses Continue to Lead in Honesty and Ethics Ratings Gallup | Jan. 12, 2026 Constitutionality of Race-Based Higher Education Grant Programs U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Statement on the Office of Legal Counsel's Opinion on the Constitutionality of Race-Based Higher Education Grant Programs Negotiated Rulemaking  Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2025 Department of Education AHEAD Committee's Second Rulemaking Session Results in Consensus on Accountability Framework ACE | Jan. 12, 2026 ED Panel Signs Off on New Earnings Test  Inside Higher Ed | Jan. 9, 2026 Negotiators Reach Consensus on Pell Regulations  ACE | Dec. 15, 2025 Consensus Reached on Workforce Pell, Earnings Test Looms Inside Higher Ed | Dec. 15, 2026

In this final episode of 2025, hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Sarah Spreitzer, and Jon Fansmith spend the hour taking questions on the policy shifts and challenges campuses are watching most closely and the developments expected to matter early in 2026.  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Lucy Dacus and Hozier, Bullseye  Jason Isbell, Bury Me Stranger Things Season 5 (Netflix)

The dotEDU hosts look back at a year that reshaped higher education in ways few expected back in January. Mushtaq, Sarah, and Jon talk through their top five stories of 2025, including  the push to dismantle the Department of Education, the cuts at NIH and NSF, the sweeping changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill, and Congress's response to it all. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  Register now for ACEx, Feb. 25-28, 2026, in Washington, DC  Higher Education & The Trump Administration: Resources Trump Administration Higher Ed Executive Order Tracker Full coverage of the 2nd Trump administration from The Chronicle of Higher Education  The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 3, 2025

For International Education Week, Sarah and Jon talk with Dr. Judyth Sachs, chief academic officer at Studiosity, about the pressures students face across borders—well-being, finances, language, and the challenge of feeling at home on campus—and how these issues are shaping the choices international students make about where to study. Sachs also offers a frank view of how "Brand USA" is being perceived abroad and what that means for global competition for students and scholars.  But first, the hosts walk through the newest Open Doors data showing a 17 percent drop in new international student enrollment and what the numbers suggest about visa policy, research funding, and the trajectory of U.S. higher education in the year ahead.  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  2025 Open Doors Report Open Doors Data Portal IIE Press Release on Open Doors 2025 Studiosity website Studiosity Global Student Wellbeing Survey Australian Government Department of Education Student Experience Survey (SES) – International Key Findings From Cash Cows to Valued Voices Report (Australia) International Students and the Australian Economy (Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin) — July 2025

The One Big Beautiful Bill may have made headlines but now comes the hard part: writing the rules. In this episode of dotEDU, we unpack the Education Department's massive regulatory to-do list, from loan caps and professional degree definitions to new Pell and accountability rules. But first: the government shutdown has ended. What's next?  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  Register now for ACEx, Feb. 25-28, 2026, in Washington, DC  Reopening the Federal Government  With Government Reopened, Will Education Department Staff Return?  Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 12, 2025  FIPSE Notice  Federal Register Announcement  Nov. 12, 2025  Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Home Page  Department of Education  ED's 'Special Projects' Grants Spark Concern Over Congressional Intent  Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 12, 2025  Negotiated Rulemaking  Summary: One Big Beautiful Bill Act  ACE  Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2025  Department of Education  Comments on the Education Department's Proposal to Implement the One Big Beautiful Bill  ACE | Aug. 29, 2025  How the Loan Cap Committee Reached Consensus  Inside Higher Ed | Nov. 10, 2025  ED Panel to Weigh Sorting of Grad and Professional Programs  Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 26, 2025 

The Trump administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence" faces near-universal rejection from the nation's leading universities, even as the White House continues to look for takers. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer unpack why the compact's demands are legally shaky and practically unworkable. Then they turn to UVA's separate civil rights settlement, what it signals for Title VI enforcement, and how DOJ's growing role is reshaping oversight. Also in this episode: the shutdown that isn't shutting down, deep cuts to the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights and TRIO programs, and  the new $100,000 H-1B visa fee.  Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  The Trump Administration's Higher Education Compact  Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education White House   Statement by Higher Education Associations in Opposition to Trump Administration Compact   ACE | Oct. 17, 2025  How the Trump administration is pressuring universities to fall in line  NPR | Oct. 27, 2025  UVA  UVA reaches agreement with US Justice Department on outstanding compliance investigations  UVA Today  Government Shutdown and Higher Ed  Federal Judge Indefinitely Blocks Trump's Latest Layoffs  Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 29, 2025  H-1B Visas  Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers  White House | Sept. 19, 2025  ACE, Higher Ed Groups Warn New H-1B Policies Could Undermine U.S. Competitiveness   ACE | Oct. 27, 2025  Letter to DHS on H-1B Visa Fee Increase (PDF)  ACE | Oct. 23, 2025  Comments to DHS on the Proposed H-1B Lottery Rule (PDF)  ACE | Oct. 24, 2025  Higher Ed Institutions Raise Concerns About H-1B Visa Fee  Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 29, 2025  Higher Ed Groups Push for Colleges To Be Exempt From $100K H-1B Visa Fee  Higher Ed Dive | Oct. 29, 2025   

The Trump administration's proposed "Compact for Academic Excellence" lands on nine campuses with vague perks and 23 demands, including tuition freezes, international caps, and "viewpoint diversity" audits. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer ask can they do that?—then discuss the shutdown's real impacts, week one of negotiated rulemaking, the stalled $100,000 H-1B fee, and a Dear Colleague reminder on federal funds and lobbying.  Here are some of the links and resources from this week's show:  Economic Indicator Tool  The Economic Impact of Higher Education in America  The Trump Administration's Higher Education Compact  Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education  White House   White House Calls for Institutions to Sign Compact With Federal Government   ACE | Oct. 3, 2025  Trump's Proposed 'Compact' Asks Colleges to Show They're 'Pursuing Federal Priorities'  The Chronicle of Higher Education (sub. req.) | Oct. 2, 2025  OPINION: Trump's 'Compact' With Universities Is Just Extortion  The New York Times (sub. req.) | Oct. 2, 2025  Higher Ed Sounds Off on Proposed Compact  Inside Higher Ed | Oct. 6, 2025  Government Shutdown and Higher Ed  Government Shutdown Could Set Off Uncertainty for Research, Oversight, Some Student Benefits and Services   ACE | Sept. 30, 2025  From the Department of Education   Negotiated Rulemaking for Higher Education 2025  Reminder Regarding Prohibited Use of Federal Grants Funds for Lobbying and Allowable Membership Costs  What Would a Shutdown Mean for Rule Making?  Inside Higher Ed | Sept. 29, 2025 

The Trump administration is cutting off or moving funding for TRIO, GEAR UP, and MSI programs—even though Congress approved the money. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer explain what's happening, why it matters, and what colleges should do next. ACE President Ted Mitchell also joins to discuss the need to protect free expression and civil dialogue on campus following the murder of Charlie Kirk. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  U.S. Department of Education Ends Funding to Racially Discriminatory Discretionary Grant Programs at Minority-Serving Institutions  Department of Education | September 10, 2025  Trump Administration Delays $660M for College Access Programs  Inside Higher Ed | September 12, 2025  Trump Redirects Millions to Historically Black Colleges, Charter Schools  The New York Times (sub. req.) | September 15, 2025  RESTRICTION ON ENTRY OF CERTAIN NONIMMIGRANT WORKERS   White House | September 19, 2025  Trump to Impose $100,000 Fee Per Year for H-1B Visas, in Blow to Tech  Reuters | September 20, 2025  White House Tries to Tamp Down Corporate Panic for High-skill Visa Holders after Last-minute Overhaul  Politico | September 20, 2025 

dotEDU is back for Season 7 with an examination of President Trump's demand for admissions data by race and sex and what that means for campuses. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer—joined by ACE's Hiro Okahana—explain what's being requested, what's lawful, and the need to avoid misleading metrics and protect student privacy. Plus: updates on international students, Harvard's funding-freeze case, and the outlook on appropriations for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.   Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:  Trump Memo on Admissions Data  Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admission  The White House | August 7, 2025  U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Directs National Center for Education Statistics to Collect Universities' Data on Race Discrimination in Admissions  U.S Department of Education | August 7, 2025  Trump Administration Orders Colleges to Submit New Admissions Data  ACE | August 11, 2025  Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)  IPEDS  Inaccurate, impossible: Experts knock new Trump plan to collect college admissions data  The Hechinger Report | August 18, 2025  Trump's college admissions changes could backfire  Politico | August 15, 2025  Higher Education & The Trump Administration  ACE  International Students  DHS Proposal to Replace Duration of Status  NAFSA | September 9, 2025  Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media  Federal Register | August 28, 2025  Letter to Secretary Rubio Urging Exemption of F/J/M Visas from Travel Ban (PDF)  ACE  Harvard Ruling  Federal Court Backs Harvard in Ruling, Echoing Concerns Raised in ACE Brief  ACE | September 5, 2025  FY 2026 Appropriations  House Bill Preserves Pell, Slashes Other Student Aid Programs  ACE | September 5, 2025  Senate Appropriators Reject Trump's Proposed Pell Grant and NIH Cuts  ACE | August 4, 2025  A Brief Guide to the Federal Budget and Appropriations Process  ACE  Government Shutdowns and Higher Education  ACE 

At the six-month mark of the Trump administration, the dotEDU Live hosts take stock of the landscape for colleges and universities. Kicking off with big-picture questions about how colleges can stay mission-focused and weather sustained political attacks, this season finale also explores the implications of the Columbia settlement, accreditation challenges, visa delays for international students, and the road ahead for implementing the "One Big Beautiful Bill." The show will return in September after a brief summer break.

https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/The One Big Beautiful Bill is now law, and colleges are facing a wave of new policies with real consequences for students and campuses. Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer break down what's coming for student loans, Pell Grants, accountability rules, endowment taxes, and more. Plus, a quick look at what's ahead for FY 2026 federal funding and accreditation. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: Reconciliation Reconciliation Bill Narrowly Passes Congress ACE | July 3, 2025 Summary: One Big Beautiful Bill Act ACE | July 10, 2025 Trump Signed the 'Big Beautiful Bill.' What's Next? Inside Higher Ed | July 10, 2025 Contains a list of deadlines What the Republicans' New Policy Bill Means for Higher Education The New York Times (sub. req.) | July 3, 2025 8 Million Federal Student Loan Borrowers Will Soon See Interest Restart The New York Times | July 9, 2025 Senate GOP Plots How to Move Trump's $9.4B Clawbacks Request Politico | July 8, 2025 Carnegie Classifications College Scorecard Appropriations White House FY 2026 Budget Proposal Targets Education, Science, and Civil Rights Funding ACE | May 9, 2025 A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Education Senate Appropriations Committee | June 3, 2025 Accreditation Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education White House | April 23, 2025 Education Department Postpones NACIQI Summer Meeting Inside Higher Ed | July 8, 2025 6 States Partner to Launch New Accreditor Inside Higher Ed | June 26, 2025 U.S. Department of Education Expands Accreditation Options for Colleges and Universities Department of Education | May 1, 2025 Trump Administration Threatens Harvard's Accreditation, Seeks Records on Foreign Students Reuters | July 9, 2025

Hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja dig into the Senate's reconciliation bill and what it means for colleges and students—student loan limits, endowment taxes, accountability rules, and more. They also discuss delays in student visa processing, stalled federal research funding, and a growing number of legal and policy challenges to programs serving undocumented and international students. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show. Reconciliation Advocate for Students and Campuses in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill ACE Senate 2025 Education Budget Reconciliation Bill ACE | June 12, 2025 Senate Finance Reconciliation Tax Package: Summary of Key Higher Ed Provisions ACE | June 17, 2025 A Running List of Policies Rejected From the Republican Megabill The New York Times (sub. req.) | June 26, 2025 Risk-Sharing: A 'Well-Intentioned' Disaster for Colleges? Higher Ed Dive | May 6, 2025 Rescission White House Eyes Rarely Used Power to Override Congress on Spending The New York Times (sub. req.) | June 17, 2025 International Students State Dept. Restarts Student Visa Interviews With Tougher Social Media Rules The Washington Post (sub. req.) | June 18, 2025 Legal Developments Judge Orders NIH to Restore Research Funds Terminated Using Political, Not Scientific Criteria WBUR | June 17, 2025 Judge Blocks the Trump Administration's National Science Foundation Research Funding Cuts The Associated Press | June 21, 2025 US Judge Blocks Defense Department From Slashing Federal Research Funding Reuters | June 17, 2025 Federal Judge Won't Block Trump's Cuts to IES Inside Higher Ed | June 18, 2025 U.S. Justice Department Sues Minnesota for Offering In-State Tuition Costs to Undocumented Students The Minnesota Star Tribune (sub. req.) | June 25, 2025 Tennessee Lawsuit Puts HSIs' Fate on the Line Inside Higher Ed | June 13, 2025

In this episode of dotEDU Live, hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja offer expert analysis on the implications of the student visa freeze, mounting political pressure on Harvard from the Trump administration, and the House reconciliation bill, which proposes major cuts to higher education funding and threatens financial aid and access for low-income students. Here are some of the links and references from this week's episode: Reconciliation Bill H.R.1 - One Big Beautiful Bill Act Congress.gov House Passes Reconciliation Bill with Far-Reaching Negative Implications for Higher Education ACE | May 23, 2025 Advocate for Students and Campuses in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill International Student Developments Higher Ed Community Letter to Secretary Of State Marco Rubio May 30, 2025 As Trump Administration Escalates Visa Crackdowns, Higher Ed Community Pushes Back ACE | June 2, 2025 Trump Administration Strips Harvard's SEVP Certification Inside Higher Ed | May 22, 2025 Trump Team Pauses New Student Visa Interviews as It Weighs Expanding Social Media Vetting Politico | May 27, 2025 State Begins Rolling Out Expanded Student Visa Vetting — Starting With Harvard Politico | May 30, 2025 Budget and Appropriations ED's Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Budget Request Department of Education More Than 10,000 TRIO Alumni Urge Congress to Protect the Program (PDF) A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request for the Department of Education Senate Appropriations Committee | June 3, 2025 McMahon Gets Bipartisan Grilling in the Senate Inside Higher Ed | June 4, 2025 Budget Hearing - U.S. Department of Education House Appropriations Committee | May 21, 2025 McMahon Plays Defense on the Hill Inside Higher Ed | May 22, 2025

Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer are joined by Steven Bloom, ACE assistant vice president for government relations, about the Trump administration's escalating actions against higher education. Topics include a joint statement from more than 50 associations condemning political attacks on colleges and universities, deep funding and tax cuts proposed in the House reconciliation bill, legal efforts to block new restrictions on research funding, and recent developments on DEI, international students, and campus antisemitism. Here are some of the links and references from this week's show. You can contact Congress about the House reconciliation bill using this tool. Restoring the Compact with Higher Ed Community Joint Statement Calling on Trump Administration to Reforge Compact with Higher Education ACE | May 14, 2025 ACE, Others Call on Trump Administration to Reforge Compact with Higher Education ACE | May 14, 2025 Harvard Response to Education Secretary Linda McMahon McMahon letter Harvard's response Harvard Argues It Has 'Common Ground' With Trump Administration The New York Times (sub. req.) | May 12, 2025 AJC, ACE Antisemitism Statement AJC, ACE, AAU, Others Unite Against Antisemitism, Caution on Federal Overreach Funding & Budget Landscape Tax Reform and Higher Education in 2025  Summary: Higher Ed Provisions in the Ways and Means Tax Reconciliation Tax Package Letter to the House on Proposed Medicaid Cuts Skinny Budget & Appropriations White House Office of Management and Budget Releases the President's Fiscal Year 2026 Skinny Budget White House FY 2026 Budget Proposal Targets Education, Science, and Civil Rights Funding ACE | May 9, 2025 What Trump's Proposed Budget Cuts Mean for Education, Research Inside Higher Ed | May 2, 2025 National Science Foundation Lawsuit  Higher Education Groups File Lawsuit Against NSF Cap on Research Reimbursements ACE | May 5, 2025 Statement of AAU, ACE, and APLU Regarding their Legal Challenge to the National Science Foundation's Cut to Critical Research That Strengthens America