Government

Free community college is back in President Biden’s budget. Although Congress is unlikely to support the full $90 billion, experts hope for a smaller budget item to provide free programs for about 90,000 students a year.

Advocates see the use of secret shoppers—or undercover agents—to go after colleges that may be lying as long overdue and a signal the Education Department is taking responsibility for its role as financial regulator.

Multiple state legislatures are increasingly supporting measures to help young people who are leaving or have left foster care attend and complete college.

The administration also wants $90 billion over 10 years to make two years of community college free.

U.S. officials got an earful at a “listening session” where consumer advocates said such arrangements put students at risk and campus leaders insisted the agreements help them serve working students better.

The longtime Republican congresswoman sees an opportunity to finally reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965 in her second stint as leader of the House education committee and is pledging oversight of the Biden administration.

The Republican governors of Florida, Texas and Virginia are drastically reshaping higher education in their states—which some see as a precursor to the 2024 presidential race.

The University of North Carolina system is grappling with accusations of partisan overreach by state legislators and their governing board appointees, fueling concerns that the system is headed down a dangerous path.