An article from This week in 5 numbers: Sweeping higher ed bill advances

We’re rounding up recent stories, from a proposal that would cap federal student lending and cut Pell eligibility to another university closing its doors.

Published May 2, 2025 Natalie Schwartz Senior Editor

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Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oreg., speaks out against a wide-ranging higher education bill put forward by Republicans during a bill markup on April 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C. House Committee on Education and Workforce Democrats. (2025). [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.

From a wide-ranging higher education bill that would reshape federal student aid to a North Carolina university announcing an abrupt closure, here are the top-line figures from some of our biggest stories of the week. 

By the numbers   $330 billion The federal savings tied to a sweeping higher education bill advanced this week by the House Committee on Education and Workforce. Democrats and higher education groups have vehemently opposed the bill, which would reduce Pell Grant eligibility, put caps on federal student lending, eliminate subsidized loans and roll back several Biden-era higher education regulations.   $6.9 million The net loss St. Andrews University faced in fiscal 2023. The private North Carolina institution announced last week that it would permanently close May 5, giving students and employees a little over a week’s notice.   $175 million The federal funding that the Trump administration suspended to University of Pennsylvania in March, citing the Ivy League institution’s participation policies for transgender athletes. The U.S. Department of Education concluded this week Penn violated Title IX, though university leaders have said the institution is complying with current law and NCAA policies.   9 The number of trustees on Indiana University’s governing board. Indiana lawmakers tacked on sweeping last-minute changes to the state’s budget that will give the governor full control over the university’s board and require post-tenure reviews at Indiana public colleges.   2 How many grant programs Johns Hopkins University is creating to help sustain research programs threatened by the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding. The programs will give faculty short-term funding for their research projects while they look for new financial support or wait for government funding to restart. waitToLoadAds.push(function() ); waitToLoadAds.push(function() );

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