This week in college admissions, Penn guaranteed full-tuition scholarships for families earning $200k or less, Fordham received an unprecedented gift that will revolutionize its STEM programming, Cornell initiated a four-month hiring freeze, Johns Hopkins warned of coming budget cuts, Boston College named its 26th president, and transfer students increased from last fall.
The University of Pennsylvania guaranteed full-tuition scholarships for families earning $200,000 annually or less. The Board of Trustees also approved a $328 million undergraduate financial aid budget for the 2025-26 academic year, representing a 6.4% increase from this year’s budget.
A $100 million gift to Fordham– the largest gift in the university’s history– will revolutionize its STEM programming. The gift will go towards the launch and expansion of in-demand STEM degree programs, and will also be used to break ground on a cutting-edge science facility on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus.
Cornell initiated a four-month hiring freeze, citing “significant financial uncertainty.” This comes as many colleges and universities across the country navigate uncertain financial futures amidst the Trump administration’s funding cuts. Johns Hopkins’ president warned Tuesday that significant budget cuts are likely coming due to the “unexpected stoppage” of $800 million in federal research funds.
Boston College named its 26th president, Rev. John ‘Jack’ Butler, S.J. A well-respected institutional leader who helped architect the college’s Core Curriculum, Fr. Butler will assume the role in summer 2026.
Transfer students represented 13% of all non-first-year students this past fall, marking an almost 5% increase in transfers compared to fall 2023. This growth happened across all pathways, including laterally from one four-year institution to another. Transfer students were also found to be very likely to change majors after transferring.
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