Author: Elissa Nadworny

The top 10 countries that gave contracts and gifts to U.S. colleges and universities as of December 16, 2025. Screenshot by NPR/The U.S. Department of Education hide caption toggle caption Screenshot by NPR/The U.S. Department of Education U.S. colleges received more than 5 billion dollars in reportable foreign gifts and contracts in 2025, according to a new website from the U.S. Education Department. The release is part of a push by the Trump administration to make foreign influence in colleges and universities more transparent. Among the biggest recipients, the data show, are Carnegie Mellon University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute…

Brown University has awarded the first grants under its deal with the Trump Administration. Lane Turner/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Lane Turner/Getty Images In a first step toward fulfilling a settlement with the Trump administration over alleged anti-semitism on its campus, Brown University has started making payments to local workforce development training. The Ivy League school has announced a grant of $1.5 million to the Community College of Rhode Island, and an equal amount to Building Futures, a nonprofit apprenticeship program. “These investments will provide important funding for key workforce initiatives by helping to maximize their impact and empower…

Texas A&M University in College Station. Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images Texas A&M University on Friday announced it is ending its programs in women’s and gender studies as part of a broader effort to eliminate teaching related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The university said it had also modified hundreds of courses and canceled six to comply with a policy adopted last November that prohibits, without approval from the campus president, teaching that “will advocate race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or…

Overall enrollment is up slightly at colleges and universities, driven by gains at community colleges and public four-year programs. JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: Overall college enrollment across the U.S. is up compared with numbers last year. That is because more Americans are going to community college and four-year public universities, even as polling shows people are losing confidence in higher education. Here’s NPR correspondent Elissa Nadworny to explain what’s happening.ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: The latest fall enrollment data shows a slight increase overall – up by about 200,000 students, according to the research center at the National Student Clearinghouse.JEFF STROHL: These findings…

Thousands of high school seniors are filling out their federal financial aid form or FAFSA. Numbers show a record increase in applications despite confidence in higher ed being at a low. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: The number of high school seniors or their parents filling out the federal form for access to college financial aid, the FAFSA, is way up this fall. That’s despite indications that many Americans are souring on the importance of higher education. NPR’s Elissa Nadworny reports.ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: Seeing so many students fill out the financial aid form matters because it’s often a critical step in the…

The University of Virginia has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pause ongoing civil rights investigations. It’s the third college to do so, but unlike the others, it won’t pay anything. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: The University of Virginia reached an agreement with the federal government to pause ongoing civil rights investigations. The Department of Justice had been looking into the school’s use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and also its handling of antisemitism. NPR’s Elissa Nadworny has the details.ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: The agreement between Virginia’s elite public flagship and the DOJ comes after months of negotiation and…

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 21. The Trump administration wants schools to sign a “compact” in exchange for priority access to federal grants. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Monday is the deadline for a handful of universities to agree to a list of commitments that align with the Trump administration’s political priorities, in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education was sent on Oct. 1 to nine colleges — both private and public —…

ELISSA NADWORNY, HOST: Four times as many people see live theater in schools with student actors and performers than see shows on Broadway. So when a show flops or has a short run in New York, it’s not over. But adapting a Broadway musical for teenagers is a special challenge, as I found out spending time backstage in Florida. Let’s start on opening night.UNIDENTIFIED ACTORS: (As characters, singing) Follow me now.UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: I’m changing, I’m changing, I’m changing.NADWORNY: We’re backstage at the Broward Center Performing Arts theater in Fort Lauderdale.UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: Does anybody have eyeshadow?NADWORNY: Students from across…

Over the last 6 months the Trump Administration has clamped down on international student visas. That’s created delays for accepted students. Now, they arrive on campuses for the start of the new school year. LEILA FADEL, HOST: International students are arriving on American college campuses.DARIA TOFAN: Hi. I’m Daria (ph). I’m a first-year international student, and I’m from Romania.PRIYOTA NADH: Priyota Nadh (ph), and I’m from Bangladesh.FRANCOIS HUMPHRIES: My name’s Francois Humphries (ph). I’m from South Africa.SHIVIKA SINGH: My name is Shivika (ph), and I’m from India.FADEL: Those students made it to school in Buffalo, New York, after a rocky…

Classes began this week for students at the University at Buffalo, a public research university in western New York, but there were about 750 fewer international students on campus than expected. The new students who did make it gathered for a welcome from the school’s dean of students. “We know you have had to overcome hurdles to be here – especially this summer, with visas,” Tomás Aguirre told the assembled students, representing more than 100 countries. “And I just wanted you to know that we are so glad you were able to make it.” The sentiment was common among the…