This week in college admissions, Stanford pauses undergraduate tuition increases, the Defense Department cuts ties with Harvard, gifts to college endowments are down, and students and families report satisfaction with the new FAFSA.
After more than a decade of increases, Stanford will not raise undergraduate tuition for next year, though room and board charges will increase slightly. The pause applies only to the 2026-2027 academic year, and other elite institutions have not yet announced whether they will follow suit.
The Department of Defense will cut its academic relationship with Harvard, discontinuing graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs at the university as of next year. Military personnel who are currently attending Harvard will be able to finish their courses of study. The move comes in the midst of a wider conflict between Harvard and the Trump administration.
Colleges nationwide saw a drop in new gifts to their endowments in 2025, with new gifts down almost ten percent. Average gift amounts also fell, and colleges withdrew more from their endowments due to funding disruptions and financial pressures. Nearly half of endowment spending went to student aid, with the rest going to academic programs and other campus operations.
According to the Department of Education, high shares of students and families are reporting satisfaction with the new, simplified version of the FAFSA. The latest form had the earliest launch in history, after a botched rollout the previous year, and about 8 million students have submitted it so far for 2026-2027.
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