dotEDU

Colleges have spent years building systems to help students vote. Now a mix of federal guidance, investigations, and state-level changes is putting new pressure on that work. ACE General Counsel Peter McDonough joins us to explain where the legal lines are and where uncertainty is creating risk. But first, the hosts discuss the recent higher education policy developments from the past few weeks, from the Trump administration's FY 2027 budget proposal to the Education Department's draft rule on accreditation.

The hosts are joined by ACE's Emmanual Guillory to break down key federal rulemaking shaping student aid. The conversation focuses on the latest developments in graduate loan limits, new rules for Workforce Pell and what it will take for institutions to participate, and the Department of Education's expanded IPEDS data collection.

At ACEx2026 in Washington, DC, the dotEDU team recorded a special live episode during a session at the ACE Annual Meeting. Instead of the usual format, hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Sarah Spreitzer, and Jon Fansmith took turns posing questions to each other about the direction of federal higher education policy in 2026: how it may differ from the first year of President Trump's second term, what the year's major policy stories could be, where their lobbying efforts have and have not gained traction, and how to advocate effectively for colleges and universities in a contentious environment. The episode concludes with questions from the audience.

The hosts run a rapid-fire policy lightning round on the biggest higher ed issues right now, from federal funding and a looming Pell shortfall to new graduate loan limits. They also dig into two fast-moving flashpoints: the Education Department's scrutiny of a long-running student voting study and the administration's escalating actions aimed at Harvard, including potential impacts on service members' education benefits. Plus, an update on Sarah's favorite topic, Section 117 foreign gift reporting.
Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:
Appropriations
How Congress's Budget Could Hamper Trump ED Agenda
Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 12, 2026
Tufts/NSLVE  
National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement
U.S. Department of Education Takes Actions to Protect Integrity of U.S. Elections
Department of Education | Feb. 5. 2026
Education Dept. Tells Universities Not to Use Student Voting Data
Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 5, 2026
dotEDU: Debates, Flies, and Political Engagement at the University of Utah 
New SAVE Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting
Brennan Center for Justice | Feb. 9, 2026
Harvard v. Trump 
dotEDU: What the Headlines Miss About Higher Ed: A Conversation with Kirk Carapezza 
Justice Department Sues Harvard for Admissions Records
The New York Times | Feb. 13, 2026
Department of Defense Severs Academic Ties With Harvard
Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 10, 2026
Grad Loan Limits

Reimagining and Improving Student Education 
Federal Register | Jan. 30, 2026
Summary: ​The U.S. Department of Education's Proposal on OBBB RISE Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
ACE
**Contact Congress to Urge a Broader Professional Degree Definition**
Accreditation 
U.S. Department of Education Announces Negotiated Rulemaking to Reform and Strengthen America's Higher Education Accreditation System
Department of Education | Jan. 26, 2026
U.S. Department of Education Issues Proposed Interpretive Rule to Eliminate the Use of "Regional" by Accrediting Agencies
Department of Education | Feb. 13, 2026
Section 117
Section 117 Foreign Gift and Contract Public Transparency Dashboard
Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education Releases Latest Foreign Funding Disclosures from Federally-Funded American Universities
Department of Education | Feb. 11, 2026

The national conversation about higher education shifted dramatically in 2025. In this episode recorded in Boston in December, Jon Fansmith and Mushtaq Gunja talk with GBH News correspondent Kirk Carapezza about the reporting landscape and the pressures facing colleges beyond the headlines. 
Here are some of the links and references from this week's show: 
Brandeis bets big on rebuilding the liberal arts around real-world skills 
GBH | Dec. 2, 2025 
Colleges hope to 'AI-proof' their offerings as new tech changes job expectations 
GBH | Oct. 29, 2025 
Local colleges targeted amid growing campus culture wars  
GBH | Sept. 24, 2025 
College Uncovered Season 4: The Demographic Cliff  
College Uncovered Season 4 Bonus: The New College Compact 
College Uncovered Season 2, Episode 4: Closing Time 
Amherst College: 1,900 Students, 850 Courses. What's Not To Like? 
On Campus | Aug. 3, 2016