Universities across the country continue to face scrutiny on their DEI practices and graduate students face a new financial landscape as the Trump administration makes changes to student loans. From investigations into the declining trust in higher education, to an administrator’s departure after discoveries about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, here’s the biggest news in higher education from last month.
Yale releases report stating universities bear significantly responsibility for declining public trust
“Trust is earned by doing what you say you’re going to do and, ideally, doing it well,” a committee made up of 10 Yale University professors wrote in an April 10 report, describing “widespread uncertainty about the fundamental purpose and mission of higher education.”
The report, which was tasked in April 2025 with examining “the problem of declining trust in higher education,” cited rising tuition costs, a lack of transparency in undergraduate admissions and self-censorship on campus as reasons for a lack of trust.
In the report, authors also emphasized that a “constellation of pressures” has led to the deprioritization of academics on university campuses, and described “the devaluing of teaching and learning” as the greatest threat to higher education. They noted that often, tenured faculty are encouraged to prioritize research over teaching, and that grade inflation has made GPA a less trustworthy measure of academic success.
Although Yale President Maurie McInnis said she accepted the judgment of the report “fully,” administrators elsewhere have split on its conclusions.
Michael Gordin, dean of the college at Princeton University and the senior administrator responsible for the University’s academic program, questioned whether declining public trust in universities lies entirely on the institutions themselves.
“Given that there’s this large-scale decline of trust, it seems like something broader might be going on that cannot entirely be laid at the feet of the institutions,” Gordin told the Daily Princetonian, the University’s student publication. “Even if it were the case that the things they identified are the reasons why trust went down in higher education, it’s not obvious that undoing them would restore the trust.”
U.S. Department of Education touts achievements in DEI crackdown, opens new investigation
On April 6, the Department of Education published a press release praising the Trump administration’s work to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education. The release said that over 300 colleges and universities have discontinued DEI requirements, shuttered DEI offices, removed diversity statements from hiring practices and altered or removed DEI policies.
The University of North Carolina System was one of the “prominent examples,” the Department cited. It took swift action after the Trump administration took office to eliminate general education requirements related to DEI.
Despite their claimed success, the Trump administration recently opened a new investigation into Stanford University for alleged racial discrimination.
In an April 29 press release, the Department claimed that Stanford discriminated based on race by basing access to their National Board Resource Center, which helps aspiring educators receive certification, on race rather than merit.
“Instead of helping students achieve their goals through merit, Stanford appears to be conditioning access to National Board Certification programs based on skin color,” said Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department. “… If the allegations are true, Stanford is engaged in discrimination pure and simple.”
Stanford has since discontinued the program.
Duke has not publicly faced as much federal scrutiny from the Department of Education since two federal investigations were announced last summer into systemic racial discrimination into the University, the Duke Law Journal and Duke Health.
However, the University has continued to pause identity-based programs, including the Black Student Alliance Invitational and Latino Students Recruitment Week, which focus on welcoming admitted students of color.
Trump administration finalizes graduate student loan limits
On April 30, the Trump administration announced it would finalize new loan limits for postbaccalaureate degrees.
The new rule maintains that only students pursuing education within the Department of Education’s definition of professional degrees will have access to the highest amount of federal loans, or $50,000 per year. The 11 degrees that meet this criteria include pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, theology and clinical psychology.
Other occupations, such as nurse practitioners or physical therapists, will have access to a significantly smaller amount: $20,500 per year. The Trump administration’s designation of certain programs as professional has previously received criticism from a coalition of healthcare organizations, as enrollments for key positions in therapy, nurse practitioner and other programs are expected to decline.
Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said the new policies put “students and taxpayers first” and make “higher education more affordable.”
The new policy also ends the Grad PLUS program for new borrowers. The end of the program, which reportedly helped over 440,000 graduate and professional students to pay for higher education, leaves many borrowers in search of a new form of financial assistance. The Department of Education said in the same release that ending the program will help curb tuition growth and touted a new “Tiered Standard” plan in addition to “a new income-driven plan” for borrowers.
The new changes will take effect July 1.
Bard president retires after report documents ties to Epstein
Leon Botstein, who served as president of Bard College for more than 50 years, will retire after inquiries into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Bard had commissioned an independent review of Botstein’s ties to Epstein after the release of thousands of files involving the convicted sex offender. The review concluded that there was no evidence of illegal actions, but raised concerns about the ethics of his leadership.
The review found that Botstein remained in contact with Epstein from 2012 to 2019, and had approximately 25 visits to his townhouse in New York. He also reportedly received payments from Epstein, which Botstein said were provided to Bard under his own name.
According to the review, Botstein said, “I would take money from Satan if it permitted me to do God’s work.”
Other universities have continued to contend with their financial ties to Epstein and have faced pressure to remove the names of individuals found to be in connection with Epstein from campus buildings. At Duke, The Chronicle reported in February that Dan Ariely, professor of business administration in the Fuqua School of Business and Graduate School ‘98, had a longstanding friendship with Epstein.
