{"id":5184,"date":"2025-09-26T11:26:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T15:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admitted.nacacnet.org\/wordpress\/?p=5184"},"modified":"2025-09-26T11:26:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T15:26:03","slug":"advocacy-update-september-26-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admitted.nacacnet.org\/wordpress\/index.php\/2025\/09\/26\/advocacy-update-september-26-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy Update – September 26, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sean Robins, NACAC’s director of advocacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome to the latest Advocacy Update on NACAC\u2019s Admitted blog. Thank you to all our members who joined us last week in Columbus, Ohio for the NACAC Conference 2025 \u2014 it was inspiring to connect in person and discuss the pressing issues facing the college admission counseling community. At the conference, we also launched NACAC\u2019s new Advocacy Toolkit<\/a>, designed to provide members with practical resources to engage policymakers, communicate the value of college access programs, and protect students\u2019 opportunities. In Washington, D.C., a potential government shutdown looms if Congress cannot reach agreement on a Continuing Resolution by Oct. 1, creating uncertainty for education funding and federal programs. NACAC remains committed to ensuring students have equitable access to higher education and that institutions have the resources they need to serve them.<\/p>\n

Policy & Legislative Updates<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Education Department launched the 2026\u201327 FAFSA<\/a> this week, meeting its Oct. 1 target date. Still, a new GAO report<\/a> warns that future forms remain vulnerable to the same technical breakdowns that plagued last year\u2019s rollout. GAO pointed to weaknesses in contractor oversight, staffing, and testing plans, raising concerns about whether FSA has the accountability measures in place to prevent similar disruptions to aid access.<\/p>\n

At the same time, courts and federal agencies are weighing in on policies with far-reaching impact. Judges in Washington<\/a> and Rhode Island<\/a> temporarily blocked a Trump administration directive requiring immigration status verification for programs like Head Start, adult education, and career training, citing evidence of enrollment declines and classroom closures. In another case, a federal judge declined to reinstate more than $1 billion in NSF research grants<\/a> canceled under the administration\u2019s anti-DEI directive, underscoring the broad scope of its efforts to dismantle equity-related programs in science and innovation. Meanwhile, the administration is also unilaterally canceling hundreds of federal education grants<\/a>, halting multi-year awards midstream and leaving schools and nonprofits scrambling to fill funding gaps. A separate ruling ordered the administration to restore $500 million in frozen federal grants to UCLA<\/a>, protecting critical medical research projects. And in the federal workforce<\/a>, a judge ruled that the administration\u2019s mass firing of probationary employees was illegal, a significant win for civil service protections.<\/p>\n

Equity-focused education programs remain especially vulnerable. The administration has frozen $660 million in TRIO funding<\/a>, leaving hundreds of thousands of first-generation and low-income students in limbo. Colleges and nonprofits approved for grants are instead receiving \u201cno cost extensions,\u201d forcing them to cut staff, shutter programs, or scale back services. McNair Scholars<\/a> also face uncertainty, with many institutions still waiting on delayed awards amid ongoing lawsuits. At the same time, $350 million has been cut from programs supporting minority-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving schools, and STEM opportunities for students of color, with dollars redirected to charter schools and \u201cpatriotic\u201d civics programs<\/a>. While HBCUs and tribal colleges will see a one-time boost, the cuts pit institutions against one another and divert resources away from public education.<\/p>\n

The Education Department<\/a> has also escalated its political fight with elite universities, placing Harvard University on heightened cash monitoring \u2014 an unusual step for a university with a $53 billion endowment. Experts call it a political move that could disrupt aid for low-income students and reflects the administration\u2019s broader attacks on elite institutions.<\/p>\n

International students are facing mounting challenges as policy shifts drive enrollment declines. New data show student visa arrivals to the U.S. fell to a four-year low<\/a> this August \u2014 down 19 percent from last year, with the steepest declines from Asia. Backlogs, uncertainty, and new hurdles are chilling interest among prospective students. Trump\u2019s recent proclamation adds to these barriers by imposing a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications<\/a>, a sharp increase that could curb hiring of international graduates, further discourage enrollment, and squeeze industries \u2014 especially tech and healthcare \u2014 that depend on skilled foreign talent. A new Brookings report<\/a> warns that restrictive visa policies pose not just enrollment risks but broader financial, economic, and global consequences. Smaller private colleges, particularly Christian institutions where international students make up 30 percent or more of enrollment, face the greatest strain. The report underscores that while elite universities may weather declines, many institutions \u2014 and the communities around them \u2014 could suffer lasting damage if international students increasingly choose other countries over the U.S.<\/p>\n

Public pressure has shown it can make a difference. The Department of Energy recently abandoned a proposed Title IX athletics rule<\/a> that would have rolled back protections for girls in sports after receiving more than 21,000 comments in opposition. Still, broader efforts to weaken equity protections persist \u2014 from federal lawsuits challenging state and local teacher loan forgiveness programs<\/a> designed to diversify the educator workforce, to new federal proposals privileging \u201cpatriotic education\u201d<\/a> over a full and accurate account of U.S. history. The Department of Education has also launched the America 250 Civics Education Coalition<\/a>, partnering with more than 40 conservative groups to create civics programming framed as \u201crenewing patriotism,\u201d raising questions about federal involvement in curriculum and the exclusion of more comprehensive perspectives.<\/p>\n

The looming government shutdown further complicates the landscape. Trump has urged Republicans to move forward without Democrats<\/a> and has cancelled scheduled meetings with Democratic leadership, even though bipartisan support is required in the Senate. House Republicans<\/a> unveiled a seven-week stopgap bill, but Democrats<\/a> quickly countered with their own proposal to extend health care subsidies, restore frozen funding, and increase oversight of federal spending. Neither side has yet secured a deal, and with the Oct. 1 deadline approaching, the Office of Management and Budget<\/a> is directing agencies to prepare for mass layoffs rather than temporary furloughs if funding lapses. While some programs with advance funding, like Title I and IDEA, should continue, OMB could still block the release of billions in education funding. The uncertainty is especially concerning given that $22 billion in advance FY 2026 funding<\/a> for Title I, IDEA, Title II, and CTE grants is scheduled for release Oct. 1.<\/p>\n

Adding to the political landscape, Democrat Adelita Grijalva<\/a> won the special election in Arizona\u2019s 7th District, filling the seat previously held by her late father, Rep. Ra\u00fal Grijalva. Her arrival shifts the House balance to 214 Democrats and 219 Republicans, with two vacancies remaining, slightly narrowing the GOP majority as Congress heads toward the Oct. 1 funding deadline.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, student loan borrowers continue to face long delays in accessing promised relief<\/a>. More than a million income-driven repayment applications remain backlogged, and the PSLF Buyback program is also experiencing long waits. While the Department has made some progress in processing, the American Federation of Teachers is seeking to expand its lawsuit against ED, arguing that these delays unlawfully block borrowers from affordable repayment plans guaranteed under federal law.<\/p>\n

On the ground, colleges are navigating both immediate pressures and longer-term structural challenges. A new report from the Hope Center at Temple University<\/a> highlights the scale of unmet student needs: Eight percent of undergraduates and five percent of graduate students \u2014 more than 1.5 million students \u2014 experience homelessness, while nearly half face housing insecurity. Food insecurity, lack of technology, and transportation costs compound the crisis, undermining persistence and completion. The National Student Clearinghouse<\/a> underscores how systemic inequities play out in outcomes, with graduates of high-poverty high schools completing college at less than half the rate of their peers.<\/p>\n

Institutions are testing new strategies to signal affordability and build trust with families. Income-based tuition guarantees<\/a>, now being adopted by a growing number of colleges and universities, are designed to provide clarity up front. Programs like the \u201cW&L Promise\u201d at Washington & Lee and new commitments from Wake Forest, Reed, Emory, MIT, and others aim to cut through sticker-price confusion and demonstrate affordability for low- and middle-income families.<\/p>\n

These innovations are emerging against a backdrop of broader public and institutional concern. A new Gallup poll<\/a> shows public confidence in K-12 education has dropped to a record low, even as parents of K-12 students report relatively high satisfaction with their own children\u2019s schools. Meanwhile, a new ACE survey<\/a> finds nearly three-quarters of college presidents \u201cextremely concerned\u201d about the federal policy agenda \u2014 particularly cuts to research, restrictions on borrowing through OBBBA, and new accountability measures tying institutional outcomes to student earnings.<\/p>\n

NACAC Advocacy<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This week, NACAC took action on several fronts to protect access and support student success. We joined an amicus brief<\/a> in Commonwealth of Virginia et al. v. Secretary of Veterans Affairs<\/em><\/a>, urging the court to uphold veterans\u2019 access to the full 48 months of GI Bill benefits. The brief highlights the financial and educational impacts of limiting benefits, underscoring the importance of timely support for student veterans and their dependents.<\/p>\n

NACAC also joined a coalition calling on the Department of Education to preserve Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)<\/a>. The coalition warned that proposed regulatory changes could conflict with congressional intent, jeopardizing relief for over 2.5 million public service borrowers who pursued lower-paying careers in good faith.<\/p>\n

Finally, NACAC endorsed the Community and Technical College Investment Act<\/a>, which would provide federal grants enabling states to offer tuition-free community and technical college programs for students facing financial hardship. The bill also emphasizes alignment with workforce and social services, outcome tracking, and program sustainability, helping students complete credentials and degrees that lead to meaningful careers.<\/p>\n

Ways You Can Take Action<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are continuously updating our <\/span>Take Action<\/span><\/b> page<\/span><\/b><\/a> 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n