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.
Colleges across the United States are facing a looming crisis: the enrollment cliff, a projected decline in college-age students, threatens to shrink college programs and strain budgets. At the same time, rising tuition and expenses, the resumption of student loan collections in May by the federal government, and return on investment concerns have made affordability a key issue for students and families.
In response, tuition-free models are becoming more common—not just as a financial aid solution but also as a strategic marketing tool to stay competitive and attract students.
All the pieces of House Republicans’ plan to cut trillions in federal spending are now public, and if the package becomes law, colleges and universities could face crippling repercussions, higher education experts say.
From overhauling the federal student loan system to expanding taxes on colleges and slashing critical public benefit programs, the proposed legislation could have a multitude of effects, both direct and downstream, that may hinder students’ access to postsecondary education.
Following President Trump’s return to office, his administration has revoked more than a thousand student visas, often without explanation. Government officials have since said they will restore some international students’ status, but other student activists have been detained and even face deportation. Many international students now avoid speaking publicly, afraid of government retaliation or online harassment.
Frank Zhou, a Chinese American student journalist at Harvard University, has seen that fear up close.
The momentum for providing all students access to meaningful career and college pathways is growing, but hurdles such as funding, teacher training, reluctance to change, and other factors stand in the way, according to speakers at the National Pathways Summit last week.
Career exposure in college and K-12 is what students, families, and educators want. Several speakers also noted that leaders from all industry sectors need to voice support for education and prioritize learning as an investment, as well as work on solutions to barriers.
As the Trump administration’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion ramp up, universities across the country are starting to reevaluate their race-based scholarships, including the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is ending a scholarship for high-performing Black medical students established by the family of the city’s first Black general surgeon to be certified by the American Medical Association.
Some doctors who established scholarships are fighting the changes, arguing that they were already struggling to hold onto the inroads they have made to address racial disparities in medicine and worry all progress will be lost.
Colleges and policymakers alike need students with children to finish their degrees and fill jobs, including those in high-demand fields such as nursing. Providing more on-campus child care is one way to help them do that, but despite a growing recognition of the challenges faced by students with children, the opposite is happening.
The number of colleges offering on-campus child care fell by 24 percent between 2012 and 2021. Now, the Trump administration’s budget proposal calls for eliminating the only federal program that specifically helps student-parents with child care.
