The change will make some specialized schools newly eligible for national and regional rankings, while a small number of colleges will shift categories to better reflect their programs and degree offerings.
The deal offerings preferential treatment in exchange for capping tuition rates, restricting international enrollment and ending DEI programs, among other concessions.
In the agreement, the Trump administration said it will again process student loan forgiveness for eligible borrowers in two income-driven repayment plans—the original Income-Contingent Repayment plan and the Pay as You Earn plan—as long as those programs remain in effect.
Public confidence in higher education has plummeted in recent years amid high tuition prices, skyrocketing student loans and a dismal job market—plus ideological concerns from conservatives. Now, colleges are scrambling to prove their value to students.
All schools can now sign on to a higher ed compact, which offers preferential funding treatment in exchange for compliance with components of President Donald Trump's agenda.
"It takes four years just to learn the role and then another couple of years to figure out what to do with it," James Birge says, who will soon retire from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
