General – UpdateED

June 29, 2026June 29, 2026 by Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Federal Court Stays Department of Education’s Narrowed Definition of “Professional Degree” for Graduate Student Loan Limits

By Anthony J. Guida Jr., Katherine D. Brodie, Jen DeMay, Kristina Gill and John M. Simpson

On June 24, 2026—just one week before the July 1, 2026, effective date of the new student loan limits—the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a significant ruling in American Association of Nurse Practitioners v. McMahon and the consolidated case PA Education Association v. Department of Education, staying in part implementation of the U.S. Department of Education’s new regulatory definition of “professional degree.” The stay prevents the Department from enforcing its narrowed definition, which would have limited the categories of graduate students eligible for higher federal student loan limits under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”), pending resolution of the litigation.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

May 19, 2026May 19, 2026 by Duane Morris

Presenting the New Duane Morris Higher Education Class Action Review – 2026!

By Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. and Jennifer A. Riley

Duane Morris Takeaway: We are proud to announce the release of the first-ever Higher Education Class Action Review – 2026, a comprehensive examination of the rapidly evolving world of litigation involving colleges and universities.

Class action lawsuits against colleges and universities have multiplied in both frequency and complexity over the last several decades. What began as isolated disputes involving admissions practices or employment discrimination has evolved into a broad spectrum of high-stakes litigation touching nearly every aspect of institutional operations. Institutions now confront class claims involving tuition and fee refunds, antitrust allegations, Title IX compliance, financial aid practices, student privacy, labor and employment disputes, disability accommodations, consumer protection statutes, data breaches, and the use of emerging educational technologies.

Read the full analysis on the Duane Morris Class Action Defense Blog.

March 12, 2026March 12, 2026 by Duane Morris

Preparing for April 2026 – New Digital Accessibility Standards for Public Institutions of Higher Education

By Anthony J. Guida Jr., J. Colin Knisely and Matthew Steinway

New regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, applicable only to public institutions of higher education, will soon require that the websites and mobile applications of these institutions meet specific accessibility standards. Beginning on April 24, 2026, covered public entities must ensure that web content and mobile applications will need to comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA, an international standard for web content accessibility.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by Duane Morris

Webinar Replay: Pre- and Post-M&A Strategic Considerations for Higher Education Institutions

A replay of Pre- and Post-M&A Strategic Considerations for Higher Education Institutions is available for viewing.

February 4, 2026February 4, 2026 by Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Public Comment Period Open on Proposed Rulemaking to Amend Federal Student Loan Programs

On January 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend regulations for federal student loan programs based on the recent enactment of HR 1 (P.L. 1119-21), sometimes referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (the “Reconciliation Act”). The Department established two negotiated rulemaking committees for the implementation of the Reconciliation Act. The first committee, the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee, reached consensus on November 6, 2025, on the entire package of loan-related changes, including federal student-loan limits, repayment plans and the elimination of the Graduate/Professional PLUS Loan program.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Pre- and Post-M&A Strategic Considerations for Higher Education Institutions

The next installments of the Duane Morris webinar series, Pre- and Post-M&A Strategic Considerations for Higher Education Institutions, will be held on Thursday, February 12, and Thursday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

About the Program

This webinar series is designed for institutions of higher education considering a near- or medium-term merger or strategic acquisition as well as those just seeking to understand the market and how M&A works in the education industry.

REGISTER for the webinar series.

January 23, 2026January 23, 2026 by Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Department of Education Narrows PPA Owner-Signature Enforcement but Leaves Core Statutory Issue Unresolved

On January 16, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education issued an Electronic Announcement, “Program Participation Agreement Signature Requirements” (GEN-26-04), addressing the general circumstances under which an owner-entity of a Title IV-eligible institution may be required to sign a program participation agreement (PPA) under Section 498 of the Higher Education Act (HEA), codified at 20 U.S.C. § 1099c. The announcement was issued in connection with the Department’s settlement of litigation in Hannibal-LaGrange University v. U.S. Department of Education, 2:25-cv-00042 (E.D. Mo. 2025), which challenged the legality of the Department’s 2023 amendment to 34 C.F.R. § 668.14(a)(3)(ii).

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

December 5, 2025 by Duane Morris

Department of Education Plans Enhancements to E-App System

By Katherine Brodie, Daniel Walworth and Matthew Steinway

On November 26, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education released an electronic announcement that describes planned enhancements to the electronic application for approval to participate in the Federal Student Financial Assistance Programs (E-App) on December 7, 2025. The E-App is part of the Department’s Federal Student Aid Partner Connect platform utilized by institutions participating in Title IV, Higher Education Act, programs to update or report eligibility information.

In addition to general improvements to the user experience throughout the E-App, the Department noted two significant platform changes that will require attention from institutions of higher education. The Department stated that it will provide guidance in early December to help its users better understand the changes.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

October 24, 2025October 24, 2025 by Duane Morris

Replay: Workforce Pell Under OB3

A replay of “Workforce Pell: Equipping Colleges for the Tools of the Trade” is now available for viewing.

October 10, 2025 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Workforce Pell: Equipping Colleges for the Tools of the Trade

Duane Morris will present a webinar, Workforce Pell: Equipping Colleges for the Tools of the Trade, on Thursday, October 23, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

About the Program

The Workforce Pell provisions of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” offer colleges with short-term, workforce-focused programs the opportunity to provide students access to Workforce Pell for the first time. The new program is scheduled to launch in the 2026-2027 award year but will be subject to the rulemaking process of the Department of Education. Colleges should start preparing now so that their students will have the best chance at being the first to access the program when it launches. Join Duane Morris’ Higher Education Group members Kristina Gill and Edward Cramp as they provide pragmatic, action-oriented guidance to help your institution prepare.