Headlines in Higher Ed: Week of June 30th, 2025
Supreme Court’s new legal precedent, international student support, and freshman year survival rates rising
Supreme Court Limits Nationwide Injunctions - What It Could Mean for Higher Ed
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to limit the use of nationwide injunctions, legal orders that block a federal policy across the entire country, even before a final ruling is made. The decision came in a case involving President Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants. Rather than deciding on the constitutionality of the policy, the court instead focused on how lower courts use injunctions, arguing that one judge should not have the power to stop a law from taking effect nationwide when it only directly affects a few people in the case.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Supreme Court
This ruling could have major consequences for education policy. In the past, nationwide injunctions have been used to stop federal rules that affect schools and colleges, such as bans on DEI programs or restrictions on transgender student rights. Another recent injunction blocked the government from interfering in Harvard’s enrollment of international students. Without this legal tool, opponents of such policies may now have to fight them one state or district at a time. Justice Sotomayor, in a strong dissent, criticized the majority for allowing a major shift in legal power without deciding whether the underlying policy is legal. Writing for the majority, Justice Amy Coney Barrett stated that “when a federal court enters a universal injunction against the government, it improperly intrudes…and prevents the government from enforcing its policies against nonparties.”
Rapid Recap
🙋♂️ UVA President Resigns Amid Trump’s DEI Crackdown University of Virginia President James Ryan has announced his resignation after Department of Justice officials demanded UVA’s board fire him or else risk losing funding for failing to eliminate DEI programs.
👩⚖️ DOJ Expands Legal Blitz on Tuition Aid for Undocumented in Minnesota Building on a successful challenge against Texas and another recent lawsuit against Kentucky, the DOJ is now suing Minnesota over its in-state tuition for undocumented students.
🙈 $7 Million+ per Month for Idle Staff: Ed Dept Stalls at Taxpayers’ Expense While the Education Department fights to uphold mass layoffs, it continues paying salaries to sidelined employees, totaling well over $22 million since placing them on leave, and nothing to show for it.
🌏 Universities Brace for International Enrollment Challenges With Flexible Policies Facing ongoing visa processing delays and geopolitical tensions, U.S. institutions are preparing contingency plans to support international students. Go on…
Universities Brace for International Enrollment Challenges With Flexible Policies
Harvard’s postgraduate college, The John F. Kennedy School of Government, recently approved a policy allowing international students to begin classes remotely if they’re unable to obtain visas in time for the fall semester. Students also have the option to finish their studies at the University of Toronto. Alternatively, a growing number of colleges like Dartmouth are expanding on-campus housing eligibility to international students over the summer, recognizing the unique challenges they face, such as securing off-campus leases or traveling home between terms. Several, including Whitman College and Macalester College are offering subsidized housing through donor funds. However, a significant majority have not provided any support other than letters to affected students advising them not to leave the country, given the risks of denied re-entry.
First-Year College Survival Rates Rise, But Gaps Persist
A recent study by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center found that only 70% of 2023 freshmen returned to the same institution in 2024. While this may appear low, it marks a full recovery from the retention declines seen during the pandemic. Still, broader concerns remain. Another NSC study found that, after GPA, retention at a student’s starting institution is the strongest predictor of bachelor’s degree completion. With more than 36 million Americans having earned some college credit but no degree, the slow progress in retention highlights persistent struggles in higher education, from affordability to mental health and institutional barriers.
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