The Academic Resistance
@academicresistance.bsky.social
Fighting the assault on higher education and science by the Trump administration. Defending science, academic freedom, and the power of knowledge. HANDS OFF HIGHER ED!
🔥 #DefendHigherEd #DefendScience
Run by academics. DM us with tips and resources.
🔥 #DefendHigherEd #DefendScience
Run by academics. DM us with tips and resources.
Graduate school is being turned into a luxury good: as federal aid shrinks and Grad PLUS disappears, more students are pushed into risky private debt or shut out of advanced degrees altogether. www.theeduledger.com/students/art...
Graduate Enrollment at Risk as Federal Aid Shrinks While Student Reliance on Loans Grows
Policy changes and rising costs create perfect storm for programs already struggling with international student decline.
www.theeduledger.com
December 7, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Graduate school is being turned into a luxury good: as federal aid shrinks and Grad PLUS disappears, more students are pushed into risky private debt or shut out of advanced degrees altogether. www.theeduledger.com/students/art...
Fitch now projects a deteriorating outlook for higher ed in 2026: shrinking domestic students, weak international enrollment, and flat state/federal support. This is why we need renewed public investment in colleges as a public good, not an excuse for austerity. www.highereddive.com/news/higher-...
Higher education faces ‘deteriorating’ 2026 outlook, Fitch says
A shrinking pipeline of students, uncertainty about state and federal support, and rising expenses could all hurt college finances, according to analysts.
www.highereddive.com
December 7, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Fitch now projects a deteriorating outlook for higher ed in 2026: shrinking domestic students, weak international enrollment, and flat state/federal support. This is why we need renewed public investment in colleges as a public good, not an excuse for austerity. www.highereddive.com/news/higher-...
Trump’s DEI crackdown, by barring consideration of both race and gender in admissions, could ironically end this advantage and shrink male enrollment at selective privates, even as his allies rail against supposed anti-male bias.
hechingerreport.org/an-unexpecte...
hechingerreport.org/an-unexpecte...
Trump’s attacks on DEI may hurt men in college admission
A government order that colleges disclose details about their applicants suggests that advantages by gender may face the same heightened scrutiny as purported racial preferences. That threatens to acc...
hechingerreport.org
December 4, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Trump’s DEI crackdown, by barring consideration of both race and gender in admissions, could ironically end this advantage and shrink male enrollment at selective privates, even as his allies rail against supposed anti-male bias.
hechingerreport.org/an-unexpecte...
hechingerreport.org/an-unexpecte...
America’s higher ed crisis isn’t just about Trump’s federal funding cuts—it’s a perfect storm of declining enrollment, shrinking international student numbers, and growing skepticism about whether degrees are worth the debt. theconversation.com/federal-fund...
Federal funding cuts are only one problem facing America’s colleges and universities
Amid federal funding cuts, the enrollment of both domestic and foreign students is falling at American colleges and universities.
theconversation.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:16 PM
America’s higher ed crisis isn’t just about Trump’s federal funding cuts—it’s a perfect storm of declining enrollment, shrinking international student numbers, and growing skepticism about whether degrees are worth the debt. theconversation.com/federal-fund...
The Trump admin weaponizes federal funding to impose MAGA’s ideological control on universities, threatening academic freedom and diversity. This unprecedented political interference risks turning campuses into echo chambers, sacrificing true freedom for conformity. thehill.com/opinion/educ...
thehill.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:48 PM
The Trump admin weaponizes federal funding to impose MAGA’s ideological control on universities, threatening academic freedom and diversity. This unprecedented political interference risks turning campuses into echo chambers, sacrificing true freedom for conformity. thehill.com/opinion/educ...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
"Restrictions in Texas, Florida, Hungary & elsewhere are not isolated. They're part of a long battle over what truths will shape the next generation. When universities choose openness, societies move forward. When they choose silence, societies fracture."
www.universityworldnews.com/post-mobile....
Faculty senates, legal organisations, student groups and international networks must challenge restrictions. Courts must overturn unconstitutional measures. Universities must adopt strong academic freedom charters and support scholars under pressure.
Faculty senates, legal organisations, student groups and international networks must challenge restrictions. Courts must overturn unconstitutional measures. Universities must adopt strong academic freedom charters and support scholars under pressure.
When universities choose to be silent, societies fracture
Texas A&M University’s restrictions on teaching race or gender reinstall an older moral architecture, asking universities to prepare students fo...
www.universityworldnews.com
December 1, 2025 at 3:10 PM
"Restrictions in Texas, Florida, Hungary & elsewhere are not isolated. They're part of a long battle over what truths will shape the next generation. When universities choose openness, societies move forward. When they choose silence, societies fracture."
🚨 Amended lawsuit in Somerville v. Trump (w/ NY v. McMahon) slams ED's outsourcing of $28B K-12 + $3.1B higher ed funds to Labor Dept as illegal—threatening low-income schools, migrants, homeless youth, & disabled students. Unions, districts fight back! www.k12dive.com/news/amended...
Education Department outsourcing is unlawful, amended lawsuit claims
The agency says it wants to improve efficiencies for K-12 and higher education funding and services.
www.k12dive.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:41 PM
🚨 Amended lawsuit in Somerville v. Trump (w/ NY v. McMahon) slams ED's outsourcing of $28B K-12 + $3.1B higher ed funds to Labor Dept as illegal—threatening low-income schools, migrants, homeless youth, & disabled students. Unions, districts fight back! www.k12dive.com/news/amended...
Trump’s latest immigration crackdown is self-sabotage for U.S. innovation and higher ed. Chasing away international students and researchers means fewer breakthroughs, weaker universities, and a talent pipeline handed to Canada, Europe, and China on a platter. www.theeduledger.com/internationa...
Report: Trump Immigration Policies Threaten U.S. Innovation Leadership
The report argues that instead of attacking legal immigration, the administration should work with Congress to modernize the immigration system.
www.theeduledger.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Trump’s latest immigration crackdown is self-sabotage for U.S. innovation and higher ed. Chasing away international students and researchers means fewer breakthroughs, weaker universities, and a talent pipeline handed to Canada, Europe, and China on a platter. www.theeduledger.com/internationa...
Trump’s second term gutted federal education research: mass firings, canceled contracts, slashed data programs, and stalled NAEP exams. Decades of progress and crucial data for schools and equity lost in one year. Public trust and student futures are now at risk. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
How Trump 2.0 upended education research and statistics in one year
Decades of carefully built infrastructure aimed at improving and tracking how American children learn vanished in an ideological attack
hechingerreport.org
December 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Trump’s second term gutted federal education research: mass firings, canceled contracts, slashed data programs, and stalled NAEP exams. Decades of progress and crucial data for schools and equity lost in one year. Public trust and student futures are now at risk. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
Northwestern just agreed to pay $75M to the Trump admin to get $790M in federal research funds back and shut down antisemitism investigations. This is a warning shot about how federal power can be used to strong-arm universities on protests, DEI, and academic freedom. www.cnn.com/2025/11/28/u...
Northwestern University agrees to pay $75 million as part of deal with Trump administration that restores frozen funds | CNN
Northwestern University has reached a $75-million deal with the Trump administration which restores frozen federal funding and ends an antisemitism investigation, the Department of Justice announced F...
www.cnn.com
November 29, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Northwestern just agreed to pay $75M to the Trump admin to get $790M in federal research funds back and shut down antisemitism investigations. This is a warning shot about how federal power can be used to strong-arm universities on protests, DEI, and academic freedom. www.cnn.com/2025/11/28/u...
NIH quietly scrapped clear grant “paylines,” giving political appointees far more discretion over what science gets funded starting 2026—researchers are right to worry about transparency, crony hires, and councils stacked for ideology over evidence. www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH shake-up to grant decision-making draws concerns of political meddling
Policy drops “paylines” based on peer-review scores and requires geography and other factors to guide approvals
www.science.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:59 PM
NIH quietly scrapped clear grant “paylines,” giving political appointees far more discretion over what science gets funded starting 2026—researchers are right to worry about transparency, crony hires, and councils stacked for ideology over evidence. www.science.org/content/arti...
New NAFSA data show steep new international enrollment drops this fall. 6% in U.S. bachelor’s and 19% in master’s programs. Restrictive visa/immigration policies are the top barrier, cited by 85–90% of colleges, threatening campus diversity and finances. www.highereddive.com/news/new-int...
New international enrollment dipped this fall, NAFSA survey finds
The poll is the second released this month to show significant declines, especially in new foreign graduate students coming to the U.S.
www.highereddive.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:59 PM
New NAFSA data show steep new international enrollment drops this fall. 6% in U.S. bachelor’s and 19% in master’s programs. Restrictive visa/immigration policies are the top barrier, cited by 85–90% of colleges, threatening campus diversity and finances. www.highereddive.com/news/new-int...
Stonewalling of records on Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence tells you everything about the deal: if it were about genuine academic freedom and student support, they’d be bragging about it, not hiding emails behind attorney‑client privilege & FOIA delays. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Public Universities Don’t Want to Discuss the Compact
Institutions have been slow to respond to records requests related to the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” and UT Austin is fighting to withhold records.
www.insidehighered.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Stonewalling of records on Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence tells you everything about the deal: if it were about genuine academic freedom and student support, they’d be bragging about it, not hiding emails behind attorney‑client privilege & FOIA delays. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Faculty senates are under attack from new legislation that sidelines faculty voices and undermines academic freedom. The latest AAUP report defends independent, representative governance as essential to higher ed’s integrity. @aaup.org academeblog.org/2025/11/18/i...
In Defense of an Independent and Representative Faculty Voice: The Case of Faculty Senates
BY AFSHAN JAFAR We have recently seen accelerating legislative and political attacks on faculty governing bodies at state institutions, including legislation recently enacted in Indiana, Ohio, Utah…
academeblog.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Faculty senates are under attack from new legislation that sidelines faculty voices and undermines academic freedom. The latest AAUP report defends independent, representative governance as essential to higher ed’s integrity. @aaup.org academeblog.org/2025/11/18/i...
The Trump admin is breaking up the Department of Education, selling off programs to other agencies, leading to confusion and creating barriers for students and families, especially those who depend on federal support for college access, child care, and special education. 19thnews.org/2025/11/depa...
‘Selling off the Department of Education for parts’: The agency’s major overhaul faces fierce backlash
The Trump administration’s restructuring plan will create “more confusion, more mistakes and more barriers” for students and families in need of support, advocates say.
19thnews.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:27 PM
The Trump admin is breaking up the Department of Education, selling off programs to other agencies, leading to confusion and creating barriers for students and families, especially those who depend on federal support for college access, child care, and special education. 19thnews.org/2025/11/depa...
The Dept. of Ed’s new student loan rulemaking sets new limits for grad & professional students, tightens Parent PLUS borrowing, shifts repayment plans, & improves default rehab. Big changes coming July 2026. www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Five Take-Aways From the Department of Education’s Student Loan Rulemaking
The provisions in OBBBA and a set of forthcoming regulations make significant changes to how both the front end and the back end of the student loan system work. Students and borrowers will now have d...
www.newamerica.org
November 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The Dept. of Ed’s new student loan rulemaking sets new limits for grad & professional students, tightens Parent PLUS borrowing, shifts repayment plans, & improves default rehab. Big changes coming July 2026. www.newamerica.org/education-po...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
“If there is a message to be heeded in the legislative assault on governance bodies, it is that the enemies of higher education, nonetheless, still fear faculty authority. Why else would they be so insistent on silencing faculty members?”
#DefendHigherEd
#DefendHigherEd
November 19, 2025 at 6:46 PM
“If there is a message to be heeded in the legislative assault on governance bodies, it is that the enemies of higher education, nonetheless, still fear faculty authority. Why else would they be so insistent on silencing faculty members?”
#DefendHigherEd
#DefendHigherEd
Legislators in states like TX, OH, IN & UT are passing laws to strip faculty governance, making it easier for politicians—not educators—to dictate curriculum. AAUP warns: Silencing faculty threatens academic freedom and the future of higher ed. www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staf...
AAUP Report Warns of Growing Legislative Threats to Faculty Governance Nationwide
New analysis highlights attacks on faculty senates in Texas, Indiana, Ohio, and Utah as undermining academic freedom and institutional integrity.
https://www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staff/article/15772122/aaup-report-warns-of-growing-legislative-threats-to-faculty-governance-nationwide
November 19, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Legislators in states like TX, OH, IN & UT are passing laws to strip faculty governance, making it easier for politicians—not educators—to dictate curriculum. AAUP warns: Silencing faculty threatens academic freedom and the future of higher ed. www.theeduledger.com/faculty-staf...
Trump’s ED isn’t just laying people off; it’s hollowing out higher ed by shipping TRIO, HBCU/MSI, Fulbright-Hays, tribal college, and other grants to Labor, State, and Interior while moving to defund them as redundant. This is dismantling, not streamlining. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
McMahon Breaks Up More of the Education Department
Trump officials announced six agreements with four agencies to take over some of ED’s responsibilities.
www.insidehighered.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Trump’s ED isn’t just laying people off; it’s hollowing out higher ed by shipping TRIO, HBCU/MSI, Fulbright-Hays, tribal college, and other grants to Labor, State, and Interior while moving to defund them as redundant. This is dismantling, not streamlining. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
US colleges saw a 17% drop in new international student enrollment this fall, driven by declining grad enrollment and harsh visa rules. That’s over $1.1B lost & 23,000 fewer jobs. International students fuel innovation and help campuses thrive. Policy matters. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Fewer International Students Came to the U.S. This Fall
Nearly a year into the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and visas, data reveals that new international student enrollment is down 17 percent since last fall.
www.insidehighered.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
US colleges saw a 17% drop in new international student enrollment this fall, driven by declining grad enrollment and harsh visa rules. That’s over $1.1B lost & 23,000 fewer jobs. International students fuel innovation and help campuses thrive. Policy matters. www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...
Trump's proposed $980M cut to federal work-study programs would slash support for students working to offset college costs, hurting access, equity, and campus jobs. Attacks on student aid threaten opportunity for those who need it most. theconversation.com/trumps-propo...
Trump’s proposed cuts to work study threaten to upend a widely supported program that helps students offset college costs
Federal work study creates opportunities for students and universities alike. But the program’s challenges go beyond the potential government funding cuts.
theconversation.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Trump's proposed $980M cut to federal work-study programs would slash support for students working to offset college costs, hurting access, equity, and campus jobs. Attacks on student aid threaten opportunity for those who need it most. theconversation.com/trumps-propo...
Reposted by The Academic Resistance
The AAUP condemns proposals before the Texas A&M Board of Regents that require the college president to approve “course content & materials” for courses that cover topics on “race, gender ideology, or gender identity.”
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
National AAUP Demands End to Texas A&M Censorship
JOIN: Join Texas AAUP and here are several reasons to join
aaup-texas.org
November 11, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The AAUP condemns proposals before the Texas A&M Board of Regents that require the college president to approve “course content & materials” for courses that cover topics on “race, gender ideology, or gender identity.”
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
Full statement:
aaup-texas.org/blog/f/natio...
@texasaaup.bsky.social
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act threatens academic health systems with tighter budgets, as patients lose coverage and hospitals bear more unpaid care. This could slow hiring and reduce staff, jeopardizing care & training. A grave concern for healthcare's future. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...
A Grave Concern: One Big Beautiful Bill Act Will Have a Debilitating Effect on Academic Health Systems, Some Stakeholders Say
The mass loss of health care coverage will ultimately shrink the size and capabilities of the health care workforce. These imminent fiscal challenges come at a time when the U.S. is already facing a p...
www.theeduledger.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:58 PM
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act threatens academic health systems with tighter budgets, as patients lose coverage and hospitals bear more unpaid care. This could slow hiring and reduce staff, jeopardizing care & training. A grave concern for healthcare's future. www.theeduledger.com/leadership-p...
Federal higher ed data at risk: with the Dept. of Ed gutted & NCES threatened with relocation, collaboration is harder and quality could slip. Even small new grants, like the $4.5M “Seedlings to Scale” program, are just a drop in an $800M bucket. Data matters. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
Advocates warn of risks to higher ed data if Education Department is shuttered
But new hires and fresh research grants hint at a quiet rebuilding effort
hechingerreport.org
November 10, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Federal higher ed data at risk: with the Dept. of Ed gutted & NCES threatened with relocation, collaboration is harder and quality could slip. Even small new grants, like the $4.5M “Seedlings to Scale” program, are just a drop in an $800M bucket. Data matters. hechingerreport.org/proof-points...
America’s longest shutdown is crushing higher ed. Research halted, SNAP cut, military students stranded, and faculty left with soaring costs. Exhaustion grows as students and staff face uncertainty, with no end in sight. www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...
Higher Ed Feels “Cumulative Exhaustion” of Longest Shutdown
Worries about access to health care, food, research funding and tuition assistance are mounting on college campuses as the record-breaking government shutdown persists.
www.insidehighered.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:43 PM
America’s longest shutdown is crushing higher ed. Research halted, SNAP cut, military students stranded, and faculty left with soaring costs. Exhaustion grows as students and staff face uncertainty, with no end in sight. www.insidehighered.com/news/busines...