American Council on Education

dotEDU Live: Ask Us Anything About Higher Education Policy At the six-month mark of the Trump administration, the dotEDU Live hosts take stock of the landscape for colleges and universities in this all Q&A episode.

The season finale of dotEDU Live steps back for a wide-ranging, Q&A-driven conversation on where #HigherEd stands six months into the Trump administration—and what’s ahead.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: ow.ly/MUxb50WxZGv

Thank you to Second Nature (@leadonclimate.bsky.social) for its leadership on this critical issue.

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week A selection of the day's most important college and university news stories.

Headlines 7/29:

⬩ A Year of Challenges and Uncertainty, as Told Through Data @chronicle.com
⬩ DHS Is Urging DACA Recipients to Self-deport @npr.org
⬩What DOJ Letters to UVA Say About Trump’s Attack on Higher Ed @insidehighered.com

More: ow.ly/gp6v50Wtv5f

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week A selection of the day's most important college and university news stories.

Headlines 7/23:

⬩ Federal Grant Cuts Don’t Spare Red States, New Report Shows @insidehighered.com
⬩ Changes to Federal Student Loans Leave Aspiring Medical Students Scrambling to Cover Costs (Chicago Tribune)

More: ow.ly/gp6v50Wtv5f

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week A selection of the day's most important college and university news stories.

Headlines 7/22:

⬩ Judge in Harvard Funding Lawsuit Calls Trump Administration’s Arguments ‘A Bit Mind-Boggling’ @bostonglobe.com
⬩ Risk and Resilience @insidehighered.com

More: ow.ly/gp6v50Wtv5f

Advocate for Students and Campuses in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill ​​The House has passed a sweeping reconciliation bill that threatens to upend college access, affordability, and student support. The stakes are high—not just for campuses, but for the future of an ed...

The House reconciliation bill would slash Pell Grants, tax colleges, and gut Medicaid, putting student access and campuses at further risk. Use ACE’s toolkit to speak out: www.acenet.edu/Policy-Advoc...
#HigherEd #StudentAid #Reconciliation

As Trump Administration Escalates Visa Crackdowns, Higher Ed Community Pushes Back ACE and 37 other higher education organizations have written to the Secretary of State to express deep concern over the decision to pause new student visa interviews and reported plans to revoke stude...

We can protect national security and remain open to global talent. ACE and 37 orgs urge the Trump admin to reverse its pause on student visa interviews and clarify new vetting plans.
www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...
#HigherEd #StudentVisas

Contact Congress about harmful cuts to student aid and institutional support The Senate is now considering a reconciliation bill, a legislative vehicle which would make sweeping changes to taxes and spending with only simple majority votes in both chambers. The proposal before...

The Senate is now considering the House-passed reconciliation bill, which cuts Pell Grant eligibility, limits student loans, guts Medicaid, and expands the endowment tax. Tell your senator to reject these harmful provisions.
#HigherEd #StudentAid www.votervoice.net/ACENET/campa...

According to the CBO, 700,000 students could lose Pell Grant access under the House reconciliation bill—a blow to college opportunity. Tell Congress: This is not the way forward. #HigherEd #StudentAId www.votervoice.net/ACENET/campa...

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week A selection of the day's most important college and university news stories.

Headlines 5/8:

⬩ Economists Warn Trump’s Research Cuts Could Have Dire Consequences for GDP @npr.org
⬩ Trump Is Using Title IX as a ‘Battering Ram,’ Experts Say @insidehighered.com

More: ow.ly/emLs50V0r6X

Three Easy Tax Fixes That Would Help Students Succeed - Higher Education Today As Congress takes on tax reform, three bipartisan fixes—ending the tax on Pell Grants, modernizing employer education benefits, and simplifying tax credits—could make college more affordable for milli...

8/ Tax reform doesn’t happen often.

This year, Congress can put students first—by fixing Pell taxation, modernizing Section 127, and simplifying Higher ed tax credits.

These aren’t partisan ideas—they’re smart, modest, and urgently needed.

Learn more: www.higheredtoday.org/2025/04/14/t...

7/ Past bipartisan proposals would combine the AOTC and Lifetime Learning Credit into one streamlined credit. It’s a no-brainer fix that would help students actually get the aid they qualify for.

6/ #3: Simplify higher ed tax credits.

Only 60% of eligible students claim the AOTC—and fewer low-income students do. Why? The system is too complex. Simplifying credits would make aid more accessible and better reflect student needs.

5/ Bipartisan bills would raise the cap, expand eligible expenses, and make student loan help permanent. This is a proven way to support working learners and help employers invest in their workforce.

4/ #2: Modernize employer-provided education assistance (Section 127).

Today’s students are also workers. But the $5,250 annual cap on tax-free help hasn’t changed since 1986—and a student loan repayment provision expires this year.

3/ Fixing this would help 550,000 Pell recipients—many at community colleges—keep more aid and simplify their taxes. The Tax-Free Pell Grant Act would solve it. Congress should pass it.

2/ #1: End the tax on Pell Grants.

Right now, students can be taxed on Pell Grants used for expenses like housing or childcare—and many lose out on the American Opportunity Tax Credit. That’s wrong. Let students keep the aid they’ve earned.

1/ The House is expected to unveil a major tax package soon, and lawmakers have a chance to include simple, bipartisan changes that would make college more accessible—especially for low- and middle-income students. A quick thread on three fixes:🧵

AJC, ACE, AAU, Others Unite Against Antisemitism, Caution on Federal Overreach AJC, ACE, AAU, and other partner organizations issued a joint statement today pledging concrete reforms to combat campus antisemitism while warning that recent federal actions threaten academic freedo...

​American Jewish Committee, ACE, Association of American Universities, and partner organizations express concern over federal actions that endanger government-campus scientific partnership, pledge to work together in unprecedented effort to combat campus antisemitism.

www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...

ACE, Other Higher Ed Groups Warn of Reconciliation Bill’s Harmful Impact on Students, Institutions The House Committee on Education and Workforce last week approved the Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan, a budget reconciliation bill that would make dramatic and damaging changes to the feder...

ICYMI: A House committee last week advanced a bill that would make dramatic and damaging changes to the federal student aid system.

ACE sent a letter with other associations outlining concerns.

More: ow.ly/7Rjj50VORmL

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week A selection of the day's most important college and university news stories.

Headlines 5/6:

⬩ Trump Is Fighting Antisemitism the Wrong Way, a Jewish Group Argues @nytimes.com
⬩ Trump Administration Calls for a Freeze on All New Grants to Harvard @washingtonpost.com

More: ow.ly/emLs50V0r6X

AJC, ACE, AAU, Others Unite Against Antisemitism, Caution on Federal Overreach AJC, ACE, AAU, and other partner organizations issued a joint statement today pledging concrete reforms to combat campus antisemitism while warning that recent federal actions threaten academic freedo...

​American Jewish Committee, ACE, Association of American Universities, and partner organizations express concern over federal actions that endanger government-campus scientific partnership, pledge to work together in unprecedented effort to combat campus antisemitism.

www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week A selection of the day's most important college and university news stories.

Headlines 5/5:

⬩ Trump Scrutinizes Foreign Gifts, Raising the Stakes for Colleges @insidehighered.com
⬩ Harvard Signals It Will Resist Trump’s Efforts to Revoke Tax-Exempt Status @nytimes.com

More: ow.ly/emLs50V0r6X

ACE Innovation Lab Sparks New Energy for Measuring Postsecondary Value Over two packed days in Washington, DC, ACE’s Accelerating Postsecondary Value Innovation Lab convened higher education leaders from across the country to reimagine how colleges define, measure, and c...

“We believe in the importance of data and its power to inspire and inform how we approach our work.”

ACE’s Accelerating Postsecondary Value Innovation Lab convened leaders to reimagine how colleges define, measure, and communicate the value of a degree.

www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...

ACE released a toolkit to equip #highered with knowledge and resources needed to advocate for state support and funding for student #mentalhealth. Use this to adapt and tailor strategies to specific needs and to strengthen state-level efforts. ow.ly/yOPz50VN53s

Trump Says He’s ‘Taking Away’ Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status President Trump first threatened Harvard’s tax status last month. It was not immediately clear if the I.R.S. was in fact moving forward with a change.

ACE's Ted Mitchell to @nytimes.com on the threats to Harvard's tax-exempt status:

“Been there, done that. The president has been saying this for weeks. Nothing has changed to make it possible for him to take unilateral action on an institution’s nonprofit status.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/u...

Renewing the Social Contract for Higher Education - Higher Education Today With public confidence in colleges at a crossroads, Ted Mitchell and Timothy Knowles call for a new social contract centered on student success—and offer the Carnegie-ACE classification as a path forw...

"Student outcomes should be at the center of the way we understand an institution’s place in the landscape."

Read ACE President Ted Mitchell and Carnegie Foundation President Timothy Knowles' blog post on the Carnegie Classifications redesign.

www.higheredtoday.org/2025/04/28/r...

On this week’s dotEDU Live, Jon, Sarah, and Mushtaq unpack new executive orders, the House reconciliation bill, and immigration policy for international students.

Plus, Mushtaq highlights the updated Carnegie Classifications.

Listen here: www.acenet.edu/Pages/dotedu...

HEADLINES: Top Higher Education News for the Week A selection of the day's most important college and university news stories.

Headlines 5/2:

⬩ Education Dept. Moves to Make It Easier for Colleges to Switch Accreditors @chronicle.com
⬩ ICE Expands Student Deportation Powers @insidehighered.com

More: ow.ly/emLs50V0r6X

ACE Innovation Lab Sparks New Energy for Measuring Postsecondary Value Over two packed days in Washington, DC, ACE’s Accelerating Postsecondary Value Innovation Lab convened higher education leaders from across the country to reimagine how colleges define, measure, and c...

“We believe in the importance of data and its power to inspire and inform how we approach our work.”

ACE’s Accelerating Postsecondary Value Innovation Lab convened leaders to reimagine how colleges define, measure, and communicate the value of a degree.

www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pa...