By Sean Robins, NACAC’s director of advocacy

Welcome to this issue of the Advocacy Update on NACAC’s Admitted blog. With the holiday season upon us, I would like to wish you Happy Holidays. As the year comes to a close, this is a time for reflection, anticipation, and planning — and, I hope, a chance to disconnect and spend time with family and friends. I also hope you are able to find moments to rest and recharge as we look ahead to a busy 2026.

This past week brought meaningful opportunities for advocacy in the face of ongoing and, at times, intensifying challenges that continue to complicate pathways to postsecondary education and the work of the professionals who support students as they navigate the next chapter in their stories. The updates below highlight key developments shaping the federal education landscape and NACAC’s continued efforts to advance access, equity, and stability for students and institutions alike.

Policy & Legislative Updates 

Recent court decisions and administrative actions continue to shape the federal education landscape, underscoring both the importance of accountability and the instability facing students, institutions, and the agencies meant to serve them. A federal judge recently rejected the Education Department’s request to delay implementation of the Sweet v. McMahon borrower defense settlement, reaffirming that borrowers are entitled to timely relief under the 2022 agreement. With nearly 200,000 post-class applicants still awaiting decisions, the court ordered the Education Department to meet the Jan. 28, 2026 deadline for resolving most remaining cases or approve them automatically, emphasizing the real financial and emotional harm caused by prolonged uncertainty.

At the same time, federal courts have stepped in to curb other administration actions affecting the department’s capacity. A separate ruling ordered the reversal of hundreds of shutdown-era layoffs across several agencies, including roughly 150 staff in the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. The judge found the layoffs violated congressional spending law and stressed that administrative inconvenience does not outweigh statutory requirements or the harm inflicted on workers and the public they serve. These rulings come as lawmakers and advocates continue to warn that the administration’s use of interagency agreements to shift education programs out of the Education Department would erode expertise, add bureaucracy, and weaken federal support for students in ways Congress did not authorize.

Programmatic uncertainty is also evident in federal grantmaking. After months of terminations, appeals, and litigation tied to allegations that prior awards reflected Biden-era diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities, the Education Department announced more than $208 million in new mental health grants. However, the new awards are narrowly focused on expanding the pipeline of school psychologists and exclude universities and diversity-centered initiatives, leaving gaps in broader mental health supports and continued uncertainty for many schools and communities. The department has also announced a $15 million grant competition to support statewide “Talent Marketplaces” that document skills, credentials, and work histories, reflecting growing interest in learning and employment records even as questions remain about funding sources and long-term implementation.

Congress, meanwhile, is advancing legislation aimed at college affordability and transparency. The House education committee has moved bipartisan bills that would require a universal net price calculator, expand program-level data on the College Scorecard, and standardize financial aid offer letters by 2029. While these efforts are framed as rebuilding public trust, institutions remain concerned about implementation burden and the Education Department’s capacity to carry out new mandates amid staffing disruptions and program transfers. A recent analysis from New America raises concerns that the House’s College Financial Aid Clarity Act falls short of delivering true price transparency for students and families. While the bill sets some content requirements for financial aid offers, it stops short of requiring a fully standardized, comparable format — allowing institutions to use different layouts, terminology, and loan presentations. Advocates warn this approach could perpetuate confusion, obscure true net price, and make oversight difficult, undermining the goal of helping students make clear, informed decisions about college affordability.

On the student aid front, federal negotiators have reached consensus on Workforce Pell regulations, clearing the way for Pell Grants to cover certain short-term workforce programs as early as July 1, 2026. The proposal includes detailed guardrails around program quality, outcomes, and earnings, signaling a broader shift toward program-level accountability. Attention is now turning to the next phase of rulemaking, where the department has indicated it will revisit earnings-based metrics across sectors, including gainful employment and a new “Do No Harm” standard. At the same time, graduate education is preparing for major changes as new federal loan limits and the elimination of Grad PLUS loans take effect next summer, raising concerns about enrollment shifts, increased reliance on private lending, and added pressure on institutions already navigating financial and demographic challenges.

Federal civil rights laws are increasingly being used by the administration to challenge — rather than advance — equity-focused education policies. The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Minneapolis Public Schools, challenging provisions in a teachers’ union contract that support the recruitment and retention of educators of color. The Trump administration argues these measures violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a position that has raised significant concern among educators and advocates who view the case as an effort to weaponize civil rights statutes against the very communities those laws were intended to protect.

In higher education, institutions are navigating similar pressures in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action. Many highly selective colleges have turned to economic diversity strategies — including expanded need-based aid, tuition-free policies, and broader recruitment — to preserve access for low-income students. While early data show increases in Pell enrollment at elite institutions, those gains have not consistently translated into racial diversity, and the Trump administration has signaled that even socioeconomic approaches may face heightened scrutiny as potential racial proxies.

Immigration policy developments are also raising alarms across the education community. The administration has expanded travel restrictions to 39 countries, including Nigeria, one of the largest sources of international students to the United States, with new limits taking effect Jan. 1, 2026. In parallel, a coalition of 20 states has filed a third lawsuit challenging the administration’s $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas, arguing it exceeds executive authority and threatens staffing pipelines for colleges, schools, and healthcare systems.

Against this backdrop, new data and research continue to highlight both opportunities and challenges in access and affordability. Common App data through Dec. 1 show strong growth in applications from low-income, first-generation, Black or African American, multiracial, rural, and Southwest-based students, even as international applications — particularly from Asia and Africa — decline. Additionally, a new Brookings analysis also pushes back on claims that college no longer pays off, finding that lifetime earnings premiums for bachelor’s degree holders remain substantial and that inflation-adjusted tuition and net costs have been largely flat since the Great Recession.

NACAC Advocacy 

This week, NACAC took action on multiple federal policy issues that directly affect students, counselors, and institutions. NACAC joined a coalition of higher education and data experts urging the U.S. Department of Education to pause and reconsider its proposed Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) to IPEDS. While NACAC supports meaningful transparency in college admissions, the coalition raised serious concerns that the current proposal relies on unclear definitions, an accelerated timeline, and insufficient technical support—conditions that could result in inconsistent reporting and misleading comparisons across institutions. The coalition also emphasized that ACTS data cannot determine whether race is a factor in admission decisions and, without additional context and clearer guidance, risks confusing rather than informing students, families, policymakers, and the public.

NACAC also endorsed bipartisan legislation to strengthen the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The PSLF Payment Completion Fairness Act would address a technical gap that has denied loan forgiveness to public servants who completed 120 qualifying payments but retired or changed jobs before their applications were processed. With ongoing backlogs and delays, NACAC supports this commonsense fix to ensure borrowers who meet the program’s requirements receive the relief they earned and to reinforce PSLF’s role in supporting the public service workforce.

In addition, NACAC called on Congress to preserve the integrity of federal education programs by keeping them within the U.S. Department of Education. NACAC urged support for the Murray/Baldwin amendment to the Labor–HHS–Education minibus, which would block the transfer of education programs to other federal agencies through interagency agreements. Such transfers risk disrupting complex programs that depend on specialized expertise, established systems, and close coordination with states, institutions, and students. As the Senate considers the appropriations package, NACAC is encouraging members to share their perspectives with senators and underscore the importance of maintaining congressional intent and ensuring education programs remain housed within the department best equipped to administer them effectively.

Ways You Can Take Action 

We are continuously updating our Take Action page with opportunities to make your voice heard. If you have not already, I encourage you to advocate on the urgent issues below. You can also view all active advocacy campaigns in the yellow column of the Take Action page. 

• Tell Your Senators: Keep Education Programs at the Department of Education
• Tell Congress: Protect FSEOG and Work-Study Funding
• Tell Congress: Save TRIO and Support College Access
• Tell Congress: Prioritize Visa Appointments for International Students and Scholars 
• Urge Congress to Protect Postsecondary Pathways 
• Tell Congress: International Students are Essential to America’s Safety, Economy, and Global Strength
• Tell Congress to Not Abandon Our National Commitment to Education
• Urge Congress to Protect Disabled Students 
• Don’t Flunk the Future Advocacy Toolkit 

As we close out the year, the policy developments outlined in this update reflect both the complexity of the current moment and the continued importance of steady, values-driven advocacy. While the challenges facing postsecondary education are real — from legal uncertainty and administrative strain to shifting federal priorities — so too is the collective commitment of NACAC members to ensuring students have clear, supported pathways forward. As we head into the holiday season and prepare for the work ahead in 2026, thank you for the time, care, and professionalism you bring to students, institutions, and this community every day.

As educator and civil rights leader Howard Thurman once wrote, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it — because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

We look forward to continuing this work together in the year ahead.

By Sean Robins, NACAC’s director of advocacy

Welcome to this issue of the Advocacy Update on NACAC’s Admitted blog. As we head into the final weeks of the year, I’m struck by how much our community continues to carry — and how consistently our members show up for students despite the volatility of the policy landscape. This past week brought a series of fast-moving legislative, regulatory, and legal developments that will shape the environment in which students make decisions about their futures. While the pace of change remains challenging, the work you do every day brings clarity, stability, and hope to students navigating an increasingly complex system. NACAC remains grateful for your leadership and deeply committed to ensuring your experiences guide our advocacy at the federal level.

Policy & Legislative Updates 

At the national level, the Supreme Court issued a shadow-docket ruling allowing Texas to use redrawn congressional maps in 2026 for the upcoming midterm elections, despite a lower court finding that the plan was likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Civil rights groups warn the decision sidelines communities of color and reflects a broader pattern: high-stakes election questions increasingly being resolved through emergency orders rather than full judicial review. These decisions ripple into our work, shaping the political context in which education policy is debated and implemented.

As the Education Department moved into negotiated rulemaking this week, much of the focus was on the future of Workforce Pell and whether existing accountability systems adequately protect students. The Education Department’s new AHEAD proposal outlines the first regulatory framework for short-term Pell-eligible programs, including completion and job-placement thresholds, a “value-added earnings” test, and a dual state–federal approval process. The proposal also introduces a significant new eligibility restriction for all Pell recipients: students whose non-federal aid meets or exceeds their cost of attendance would lose Pell eligibility, forcing institutions to adjust aid packages or return Pell funds. At the same time, a major unresolved question remains whether undergraduate certificate programs — explicitly exempted from Congress’s new Do No Harm earnings test — will face any meaningful oversight going forward. With Workforce Pell expansion moving forward and accountability gaps widening, this week’s negotiations will determine whether federal funds continue to support low-value pathways or whether protections will evolve to meet student and taxpayer expectations.

Federal instability is also intensifying. More than 30 Senate Democrats recently warned that the department’s efforts to shift core functions to other agencies may be unlawful and risk eroding longstanding student supports — including TRIO, GEAR UP, and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant Program. The letter underscores a growing concern on the Hill: interagency transfers are deepening operational instability at a moment when students and institutions most need clarity.

That concern is mirrored inside the department itself. After attempting to lay off more than 260 civil rights employees, the Education Department is now requiring those same workers to return due to a backlog exceeding 25,000 unresolved discrimination complaints. The reversal reflects the profound operational strain created by workforce reductions and the severe risks posed to students and families awaiting legally required protections. Efforts to dismantle the department continue to collide with the realities of its core enforcement responsibilities.

Legal and fiscal uncertainty is affecting K–12 programs as well. A federal appeals court temporarily reinstated funding for 49 school mental health projects the Turmp administration attempted to cancel, but the department has not committed to sustaining these grants through the end of the year or awarding new funding on schedule. Districts and states remain in limbo, navigating conflicting directives while trying to sustain services students rely on. The instability highlights the urgent need for predictable timelines and adherence to congressional intent under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Students and families are also beginning to see new federal transparency tools. The FAFSA now includes a “lower earnings” warning for institutions where graduates earn less than adults with only a high school diploma. While the flagged institutions represent about 23 percent of colleges in the department’s database, they enroll fewer than 3 percent of all undergraduates and receive approximately $2 billion of the more than $100 billion in annual federal student aid. The list is dominated by for-profit colleges and cosmetology programs, reflecting long-standing concerns about poor labor market outcomes and high debt-to-earnings ratios in these sectors. Although consumer protection advocates view the move as an important step toward clarity, higher education groups continue to raise questions about data quality, regional wage variation, and the blunt nature of institution-level labeling. Even so, this shift signals the federal government’s accelerated push toward outcomes-based accountability ahead of next year’s implementation of the Do No Harm earnings test.

The Pell Grant program faces a separate long-term challenge. A new analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warns that, despite a $10.5 billion infusion this summer, the Pell reserve remains on track for a $61–$97 billion shortfall over the next decade. Workforce Pell expansion has increased program costs, and without structural solutions, the nation’s core need-based aid program will continue to face recurring instability.

In the K–12 arena, declining enrollment is prompting states to revisit longstanding questions about the sustainability of small school districts. Wisconsin’s latest push for voluntary consolidation mirrors conversations underway in several states as communities grapple with governance, transportation, staffing, and identity concerns. Even with incentives and feasibility studies, consolidation is not a remedy for broader funding inequities or rural resource constraints. As pandemic-era “hold harmless” policies expire and enrollment continues to fall, more districts may face difficult structural decisions.

Borrowers are also confronting renewed uncertainty. The Trump administration has reached a settlement with Missouri to formally end the SAVE repayment plan — pending court approval — accelerating the timeline set by OBBBA. Nearly eight million borrowers could soon be transitioned into new “legal repayment plans” with no clear alternatives or forgiveness pathways. Advocates warn that this abrupt shift heightens the risk of default for borrowers already navigating inconsistent federal policy.

Significant changes are also emerging in accreditation. The Education Department’s new Request for Information explicitly invites commenters to propose revisions aligned with the administration’s ideological priorities: restricting DEI, expanding “intellectual diversity,” curbing grade inflation, and removing race, ethnicity, and gender from outcomes measures. While there is room to strengthen standards around program quality and student outcomes, the RFI signals how easily accreditation could become a vehicle for ideological requirements outside of formal rulemaking.

The administration’s broader effort to restructure the Education Department through interagency agreements is drawing increased scrutiny. A new analysis from the Center for American Progress reinforces what we and many partners have been warning: these transfers are not a streamlining exercise, but an unlawful attempt to dismantle the department by shifting major K–12, higher education, and workforce programs to agencies that lack the expertise, statutory authority, or operational capacity to administer them. The agreements would fragment oversight across multiple departments, move billions of dollars in programs such as Title I, TRIO, GEAR UP, CCAMPIS, and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant Program, and create new bureaucratic steps for institutions already struggling with rapid policy swings. CAP also underscores that these actions circumvent Congress’s role in establishing and organizing federal agencies — mirroring earlier efforts to downsize the department through executive order, workforce reductions, and policy reinterpretations. Rather than reducing duplication, the transfers would slow funding, confuse points of contact for states and institutions, undermine equity initiatives, and destabilize core services that students and families rely on every day.

Even amid this volatility, the evidence remains clear that educational investments generate broad public benefits. A new UCLA Civil Rights Project report finds that closing gaps in early childhood access, high school completion, and college attainment — particularly for Black and Hispanic students — could yield up to $72.6 billion in annual public benefits. These findings reinforce that equitable investments strengthen our national economic future, while recent federal cuts and policy shifts move in the opposite direction.

Finally, new research highlights the growing fear and instability facing international students. A national survey from Stop AAPI Hate found that most international students feel unsafe, uncertain about their visa status, and hesitant to participate fully in campus or civic life. Many expressed fears of surveillance, detention, or family separation. Institutions continue working to support affected students, but gaps in legal guidance and immigration clarity persist.

Amid these challenges, employer confidence in higher education remains strong. A new AAC&U–Morning Consult survey shows seven in ten employers continue to trust colleges and universities and believe degrees retain their value. Employers emphasize communication, problem-solving, ethical judgment, and AI literacy as essential skills — and affirm that diverse perspectives and open dialogue remain central to workforce readiness.

Across all of these developments, the through-line is clear: stability, transparency, and student-centered policymaking are urgently needed. NACAC will continue monitoring these shifts closely, engaging federal partners, and ensuring that the experiences of our members — and the students they serve — remain front and center in national debates.

NACAC Advocacy 

This week, NACAC continued its federal engagement on multiple fronts as policymakers move quickly on issues that directly affect students, institutions, and the professionals who support them. We met with coalition partners to coordinate strategies that defend equitable pathways to postsecondary education and to ensure the field is prepared for the rapidly evolving landscape surrounding negotiated rulemaking on Workforce Pell. These discussions remain essential as the AHEAD proposal raises new concerns about program quality, student protections, and the implementation burdens institutions may face.

NACAC also submitted formal comments on the Education Department’s revised ACTS proposal, reiterating the significant feasibility, accuracy, and privacy concerns our members have consistently raised. While we appreciate the department’s decision to limit ACTS to four-year institutions, the revised proposal still presents major operational challenges — from unclear definitions and unrealistic reporting expectations to the risk of generating misleading or easily misinterpreted admissions data, particularly regarding race. Members continue to warn that the proposal would divert scarce staff time away from direct student support and require data many colleges do not currently collect or maintain.

In our comments, we urged the department to delay implementation, engage practitioners meaningfully in developing clearer guidance, restore technical assistance, and adopt stronger privacy safeguards. Our goal remains consistent: ensuring any federal reporting requirements strengthen accuracy, equity, and transparency without undermining the work that supports students’ access to college.

Ways You Can Take Action 

We are continuously updating our Take Action page with opportunities to make your voice heard. If you have not already, I encourage you to advocate on the urgent issues below. You can also view all active advocacy campaigns in the yellow column of the Take Action page. 

• Tell Congress: Protect FSEOG and Work-Study Funding
• Tell Congress: Save TRIO and Support College Access
• Tell Congress: Prioritize Visa Appointments for International Students and Scholars 
• Urge Congress to Protect Postsecondary Pathways 
• Tell Congress: International Students are Essential to America’s Safety, Economy, and Global Strength
• Tell Congress to Not Abandon Our National Commitment to Education
• Urge Congress to Protect Disabled Students 
• Don’t Flunk the Future Advocacy Toolkit 

Through every challenge we have navigated this year, what continues to stand out is the strength, generosity, and resolve of this community. Your work — advising students, guiding families, shaping institutional decisions, and lending your voice to advocacy — anchors our field during a period of extraordinary uncertainty. NACAC will continue pressing for stability, transparency, and policies that reflect the realities you see every day, but it is your commitment that gives this work purpose and momentum.

I am reminded of Grace Lee Boggs’s powerful reflection:

“We never know how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness. In this exquisitely connected world, it’s never a question of ‘critical mass.’ It’s always about critical connections.”

As we begin to close out 2025, I want to express my deep gratitude for all you do to support students and uphold the values that define our profession. Your efforts, both visible and unseen, move this work forward in ways that matter.

By Sean Robins, NACAC’s director of advocacy

Welcome to this issue of the Advocacy Update on NACAC’s Admitted blog. As the Trump administration continues advancing its plan to dismantle the Department of Education through a series of interagency agreements, uncertainty remains the defining feature of the federal education landscape. Each week brings new indications of how deeply these moves are straining the systems students, counselors, and institutions depend on — from grant management and program oversight to civil rights enforcement and borrower support. What was once framed as administrative “streamlining” has instead revealed widespread disruption, shrinking capacity, and growing confusion across agencies. Against this backdrop, educators, state leaders, tribal nations, and higher education institutions are raising alarms about the operational, legal, and equity implications. It is within this environment of rapid change and diminished transparency that NACAC continues to monitor developments, engage partners, and advocate for the stability and protections that students and institutions urgently need.

Policy & Legislative Updates 

Internal documents continue to underscore how fragile — and risky — the administration’s dismantling of the Education Department truly is. Even the small-scale transfer of OCTAE to the Labor Department strained ED’s capacity and nearly disrupted funding, raising serious concerns as far larger programs are slated for relocation to Labor, HHS, Interior, and State. Staff describe a lack of answers, rising anxiety, and real fears that these moves will weaken oversight, destabilize grant management, and disrupt services that students and institutions rely on. While the administration frames these shifts as efficiency, the internal assessments paint the opposite picture.

The ripple effects are being felt across communities. Tribal leaders have sounded the alarm that the administration’s decision to shift dozens of Native American education programs to other federal agencies was made without the legally required tribal consultation. Leaders from Standing Rock to the American Indian Higher Education Consortium warn the transfers will create instability, add bureaucratic hurdles, and undermine supports for Native students — a direct breach of trust and a failure to center those most impacted. Tribal advocates are calling for the transfers to pause until meaningful consultation occurs and capacity concerns are addressed.

On campuses, heightened immigration enforcement is adding another layer of uncertainty. North Carolina institutions are responding to intensified ICE and CBP activity across Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte by issuing urgent reminders about FERPA protections and protocols for verifying warrants, but anxiety among students is rising. International students, faculty, and staff report unconfirmed sightings of federal agents and growing concern that existing protections are insufficient in this moment. National survey data reinforce these trends: a new EdWeek analysis shows increased immigration enforcement is leading to missed school days, disengagement, and higher demand for mental health supports — especially in high-poverty districts. Many schools still lack clear written protocols, leaving students and educators without reliable guidance. Our partners at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration have developed resources designed to support school counselors, K-12 educators, and college counselors working with mixed-status and undocumented families. These tools provide timely information, policy clarity, and community support to help educators and counselors advocate for students and expand access to higher education.

Legal challenges are also accelerating. The Department of Justice has sued California and its three public higher education systems to strike down the state’s decades-old policy allowing undocumented students to pay in-state tuition — a move that threatens affordability for thousands and adds another layer of uncertainty for institutions already navigating a volatile policy environment. Meanwhile, the administration’s broader effort to dismantle ED has resurfaced a two-century-old debate over the federal role in education. Scholars note that shifting congressionally mandated programs across multiple agencies is more symbolic than substantive, and almost certain to create confusion at a moment when institutions need clarity and stability.

Congressional scrutiny is intensifying. Senator Elizabeth Warren has called on the department’s inspector general to investigate the dismantling effort, citing incomplete responses from ED, concerns about weakened civil rights enforcement, and questions around staff selected for reductions in force. Her letter highlights the growing unease in Congress as transparency declines, and the administration accelerates timelines for moving programs out of the department.

Transparency within the administration’s reorganization efforts is shrinking, with reports that senior officials have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements limiting what they can share about the department’s restructuring. Staff relocations to Labor and HHS are already underway, even as timelines, logistics, and implications for students and institutions remain unclear. The challenges are already evident: the transfer of career and technical education programs to Labor earlier this year resulted in grant-system glitches, delayed reimbursements, and confusion among state leaders. These individuals warn that shifting $28 billion in K–12 funding — particularly Title I — into a workforce-focused agency is likely to deepen inequities and operational dysfunction. Despite assurances of a “smooth transition,” educator feedback reflects a growing sense that capacity shortfalls and misaligned missions are putting vulnerable students at risk.

The administration’s shrinking of ED’s internal capacity is also showing up in borrower relief efforts. The department is seeking an 18-month extension to resolve borrower defense claims under the Sweet v. McMahon settlement, citing diminished staffing and resource constraints. Advocates warn that delays would undermine the agreement’s core promise of timely relief for students defrauded by predatory institutions.

Elsewhere, the administration continues to pressure institutions through federal investigations. Northwestern has reached a $75 million settlement — similar to earlier agreements with Columbia and Brown — to close federal probes and restore access to research funding. The agreement requires updated discrimination and harassment policies and new protections for Jewish community members and international students. While ED leaders call these deals a model for accountability, critics warn that the settlements reinforce ongoing federal intrusion into institutional governance.

Legal challenges to the dismantling effort are expanding as well. A broad coalition of states, districts, unions, and disability-rights advocates has amended its lawsuit arguing that outsourcing core ED responsibilities violates federal law and destabilizes systems that students and educators rely on. The complaint points to mounting delays, reduced capacity, and increased confusion as clear evidence of harm.

In contrast to these destabilizing trends, new research highlights the important role international students have played in strengthening U.S. higher education. A new National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) analysis shows that the surge of Chinese students entering U.S. master’s programs in the early 2000s not only fueled academic growth but also helped keep tuition down for American students and boosted local economies. These findings come as policymakers consider tighter visa restrictions and increased scrutiny of Chinese nationals.

On campuses, financial and policy pressures continue to drive difficult decisions. November saw a wave of program cuts, layoffs, and other cost-saving measures tied to declining research funding, steep drops in international enrollment, and new state laws mandating program closures. Institutions cite a challenging landscape shaped by shifting federal policy and eroding public trust.

Concerns about institutional autonomy deepened further when the Trump administration asked a state court to compel the University of Pennsylvania to release names and contact information of Jewish students and employees — a demand widely condemned by higher education leaders, civil rights groups, and Jewish organizations. Penn has refused to release identifying information without consent, citing its responsibility to protect privacy and safety.

In more positive news, NCAN’s FAFSA Tracker offers critical insight into early FAFSA completion trends for the class of 2026. While overall completions are rising under the simplified form, significant disparities persist across race, income, and community type — a reminder that simplification alone cannot close longstanding equity gaps in financial aid access.

Research on direct admissions also reinforces that policy changes work best when paired with sustained support. New analyses show that direct admissions boosts application and enrollment rates, but affordability, advising, and clear communication remain central barriers. NCAN’s new Direct Admissions Best Practices hub brings together state models and practical guidance for partners seeking to strengthen or implement these programs, emphasizing that direct admissions are most effective when integrated into a broader strategy that centers student support.

Finally, new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show that college completion rates have remained remarkably stable despite the pandemic-era disruptions faced by the fall 2019 cohort. Full-time enrollment and early exposure to college coursework continue to be strong predictors of completion, with dual-enrollment students posting especially high success rates. Yet persistent gaps by income, gender, age, and enrollment intensity underscore the ongoing equity challenges facing institutions and policymakers.

NACAC Advocacy 

This week, NACAC continued to deepen our advocacy on several fronts as the landscape around federal education policy grows more complex. We met with coalition partners to coordinate our shared response to the administration’s accelerating effort to dismantle the Education Department. These conversations focused on the operational disruptions already emerging across federal programs, the cascading impact on students and institutions, and the need for a unified strategy to defend core functions ranging from civil rights enforcement to financial aid administration.

Our team also engaged in ongoing discussions around Negotiated Rulemaking — particularly the RISE and AHEAD committees — as we prepare for another round of regulatory debates that will shape the future of accreditation, student protections, and institutional accountability. Workforce Pell continues to be a central topic in these conversations. NACAC is working closely with partners to ensure that any expansion aligns with quality standards, safeguards students from predatory practices, and strengthens — rather than fragments — pathways to meaningful postsecondary credentials.

We also spent time this week in conversations with congressional offices. These meetings provided insight into evolving legislative priorities and helped us better understand how we can support and strengthen our partnerships with lawmakers. With shifting appropriations dynamics, growing concern about agency reorganization, and heightened attention to affordability heading into 2026, maintaining close communication with congressional staff remains essential. Our goal is to ensure that NACAC members’ perspectives on access, equity, and student well-being are shaping the policies under development in real time.

Across all of this work, NACAC continues to emphasize the same core message: students, counselors, and institutions need stability, transparency, and a functioning federal education infrastructure. We will remain at the table with partners and policymakers to protect these commitments and advocate for solutions that keep students at the center of every decision.

Ways You Can Take Action 

We are continuously updating our Take Action page with opportunities to make your voice heard. If you have not already, I encourage you to advocate on the urgent issues below. You can also view all active advocacy campaigns in the yellow column of the Take Action page. 

• Tell Congress: Protect FSEOG and Work-Study Funding
• Tell Congress: Save TRIO and Support College Access
• Tell Congress: Prioritize Visa Appointments for International Students and Scholars 
• Urge Congress to Protect Postsecondary Pathways 
• Tell Congress: International Students are Essential to America’s Safety, Economy, and Global Strength
• Tell Congress to Not Abandon Our National Commitment to Education
• Urge Congress to Protect Disabled Students 
• Don’t Flunk the Future Advocacy Toolkit 

As we navigate another week of shifting policies and mounting uncertainty, one constant remains: the collective strength of this community. Counselors, educators, and advocates continue to show up for students with clarity and conviction, even as the systems around them grow more unstable. Your work — the daily guidance, the advocacy, the steady presence — is shaping outcomes in ways that matter deeply.

In this moment, I am reminded of a reflection from Michelle Obama:

“You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once. But don’t ever underestimate the impact you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”

While uncertainty feels overwhelming, these words ground us in what endures: our shared commitment to students, our belief in opportunity, and the power of collective action. NACAC will remain beside you in this work — steadfast, vigilant, and hopeful about what we can accomplish together.