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