This week in college admissions, seven universities reject the Trump administration’s compact, UVA strikes a deal with the government, Harvard cuts Ph.D. admissions, faculty in the UC system receive a record number of Nobel prizes, and combining dual-enrollment and AP/IB courses yields positive outcomes.
Seven of the nine universities that were offered the Compact for Excellence in Higher Education have rejected it, with Dartmouth, UVA, and the University of Arizona joining Penn, Brown, USC, and MIT. Leaders of several of the universities mentioned the need for academic freedom as a reason for their rejections. The University of Texas System and Vanderbilt have not yet responded.
Meanwhile, the University of Virginia struck a deal with the Trump administration, the first public university to do so. Unlike other universities that struck deals with the government, UVA will not pay a fine or make any monetary payment. They will, however, provide quarterly data to the government showing compliance with government guidelines. In exchange, the government will pause their current investigations into the university.
Harvard is planning to make major cuts to its Ph.D. admissions in the next two years, with a 75% cut in admissions to the sciences division and a 60% cut to the humanities. Harvard is facing financial pressures, including cuts to research grants, and ran a $113 million deficit last year.
Five faculty members and researchers connected with the UC system were awarded Nobel Prizes this year, setting a world record for educational institutions. The prizes were awarded for physics, medicine, and chemistry. 49 Nobel laureates in total have been affiliated with the UC system at the time they won their awards.
A recent study found that high school students tend to achieve better outcomes by taking a combination of dual-enrollment and Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate courses. Students who took a combination of both kinds of courses graduated from college at higher rates and earned more after college, compared with peers who took only dual-enrollment or only AP/IB courses.
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