The condensed programs have exploded in popularity. As of this spring, 26 U.S. states have a college that offers at least one reduced-credit, three-year bachelor’s, according to the nonprofit research group RAND.
Hiring has cooled for entry-level software developers—work increasingly done by AI agents—and college enrollment in computer and information science programs has been declining.
College players gambling on college sports, especially when they involve their own teams is, as Florida athletic director Scott Strickin called it, “the unpardonable sin.”
Today’s college students say that picking a major that’s “AI-proof” feels like shooting at a moving target as they prepare for a job market that could be fundamentally different by the time they graduate.
Colleges and states are stepping up efforts to help millions of former students return and finish their degrees, but financial and personal barriers continue to keep many from the credential they once set out to earn.
College instructors say some student work now appears polished by AI, even when students cannot explain it. Educators worry that growing reliance on AI could weaken critical thinking.
Cornell’s renewed interest in typewriters reflects a broader return to low-tech testing methods aimed at limiting AI use. Schools are increasingly turning to handwritten and oral exams instead of laptop-based assignments.
The Trump administration has opened admissions investigations into the medical schools of Stanford University, Ohio State and the University of California, San Diego. The move broadens its scrutiny of how colleges are complying with the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action.
Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Executive Vice President and Provost Ravi Bellamkonda as the successor to former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., bypassing the traditional nationwide search and making Bellamkonda Ohio State’s fourth president since 2020.
Colleges are grappling with declining reading and class participation, with some professors citing the growing influence of artificial intelligence. Many instructors are adjusting teaching strategies to encourage deeper engagement with course materials.
The Trump administration is reshaping the military’s ties to higher education, cutting some connections with elite universities. A broader tuition program for about 200,000 service members remains in place.
Lawmakers are pressing the Education Department to include nursing in programs eligible for higher federal loan caps. They warn the current proposal would make advanced nursing degrees harder to afford.
Hundreds of students at California State University, Sacramento, or Sac State, visit the school’s Basic Needs Resource Center every week, where they can select up to a dozen items per trip.
