An article fromWeek in review: Will graduate nursing gain professional designation?

We’re rounding up recent stories, from the $100,000 fee for H-1B visas being struck down to more colleges pursuing academic cuts and consolidation.

Published June 15, 2026Natalie Schwartz Senior Editor

• Share
  • Copy link
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • X/Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
• License
• Add us on Google

The University of California, Davis campus in Davis, Calif., on July 21, 2025. The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that the university's medical school has unlawfully discriminated in its medical school admissions. Kevin Koeppen Photography via Getty Images Most-clicked story:

The House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that would classify graduate nursing programs as professional degrees, a designation that carries higher federal loan limits. The same bill would also cut discretionary spending for the U.S. Department of Education to $70.7 billion in fiscal 2027, a 10% cut from the current year. 

Number of the week: 85

The number of $100,000 payments for H-1B visa petitions that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services received through mid-February after President Donald Trump's implementation of the fee by proclamation in September, according to court filings. 

Last week, a federal judge struck down the fee for the highly skilled worker visa program, ruling it was an unlawful tax. The Trump administration quickly appealed. 

if (window.dfp_visibility === 'mobile' ) googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.defineSlot( '/3618/highereddive/highereddivehybrid1', [[300, 250], 'fluid'], 'dfp-hybrid1-mobile' ).addService(googletag.pubads()); ); waitToLoadAds.push(function() googletag.cmd.push(function() if (window.dfp_visibility === 'mobile' ) window.onDvtagReady?.(() => googletag.display('dfp-hybrid1-mobile')); googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function (event) var adUnitPath = '/3618/highereddive/highereddivehybrid1'; var onProformative = false; if (onProformative && event.slot.getAdUnitPath() === adUnitPath && !event.isEmpty ) var adUnitPathWithVisibility = adUnitPath + '-mobile'; var selector = '.pf-comments__ad-wrapper #dfp-hybrid1-mobile'; if (!$(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').hasClass('borders')) $(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').addClass('borders') ); ); ); if (window.dfp_visibility === 'desktop' ) googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.defineSlot( '/3618/highereddive/highereddivehybrid2', [[300, 250], 'fluid'], 'dfp-hybrid2-desktop' ).addService(googletag.pubads()); ); waitToLoadAds.push(function() googletag.cmd.push(function() if (window.dfp_visibility === 'desktop' ) window.onDvtagReady?.(() => googletag.display('dfp-hybrid2-desktop')); googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function (event) var adUnitPath = '/3618/highereddive/highereddivehybrid2'; var onProformative = false; if (onProformative && event.slot.getAdUnitPath() === adUnitPath && !event.isEmpty ) var adUnitPathWithVisibility = adUnitPath + '-desktop'; var selector = '.pf-comments__ad-wrapper #dfp-hybrid2-desktop'; if (!$(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').hasClass('borders')) $(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').addClass('borders') ); ); ); DOJ sets sights on UC Davis, CUNY:

• The U.S. Department of Justice alleged last week that the University of California, Davis School of Medicine gave an advantage to Black and Hispanic applicants in violation of civil rights law. DOJ said it would sue UC Davis — along with other medical schools — if they don’t come into compliance through voluntary resolutions with the agency. 
• DOJ said its findings came after a six-month probe into the medical school. More of these announcements could be on the horizon, as the agency recently said it was launching 15 investigations into medical school admissions, though it didn’t name the institutions. 
• Also last week, DOJ launched an investigation into the Black Male Initiative at the City University of New York system. DOJ said it received complaints that the student success program discriminates on the basis of race, though CUNY bills it as open to all. 

The latest cuts and consolidation news across higher education:

• The New School’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors denounced recent faculty layoffs and called on the university to either reinstate the employees or offer them a phased retirement. Faculty at the New York City institution have questioned the need for the cuts, though administrators have contended they were necessary to adapt to lower enrollment levels. 
• The University of Denver plans to consolidate five schools and colleges into two and eliminate five departments. The moves are meant to create a “more connected, flexible academic experience for students,” officials at the private nonprofit institution said. 
• Marshall University, a public institution in West Virginia, plans to cut seven academic programs while expanding five others. The moves come as the institution faces a $10.2 million budget deficit in the current fiscal year.

• Add us on Google
• Share
  • Copy link
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • X/Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Print
  • License

/* Keep this hidden until we need to show the v2 challenge. */ .captcha-container display: none; (function () )(); Higher Ed Dive news delivered to your inbox

Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts

Email:

• Select user consent: By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at anytime.

Sign up A valid email address is required. Please select at least one newsletter.Editors' picks

• Spencer Platt via Getty ImagesMoody’s lowers Columbia University’s outlook to negative

  In its decision earlier this month, the credit rating agency cited federal pressure on the Ivy League institution and uncertainty around international enrollment.

  By Laura Spitalniak • May 11, 2026
• Retrieved from Senate Appropriations Committee on April 28, 20263 insights from McMahon’s testimony on the Education Department’s budget proposal

  Lawmakers grilled U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on the agency’s dismantling, its handling of civil rights cases and the future of TRIO. 

  By Natalie Schwartz • April 28, 2026