Tag: Higher Education

Posted on by Katherine D. Brodie

Coalition of 23 State Attorneys General Opposes Proposed Federal Higher Education Accreditation Overhaul

By Katherine D. Brodie, Edward Cramp, Anthony J. Guida Jr., Kristina Gill, Daniel R. Walworth and Jen DeMay

On August 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education published a proposed Accreditation, Innovation and Modernization Rule that includes sweeping changes to the federal regulations governing the recognition and oversight of accrediting agencies under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The proposed rule largely implements Executive Order 14279, “Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education,” which directed the Department to modernize accreditation standards and reduce regulatory barriers. On September 21, 2026, 23 state attorneys general submitted public comment asserting that the proposed rule is likely to lead to harm to institutions of higher education, students and accrediting agencies, including by incentivizing lowered accreditation standards and oversight.

Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris LLP website.

Posted on 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.

Posted on by Duane Morris

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

By Anthony J. Guida Jr. and J. Colin Knisely

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.

Posted on 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.

Posted on 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.

Continue reading “Webinar: Pre- and Post-M&A Strategic Considerations for Higher Education Institutions”
Posted on 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.

REGISTER

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.

Posted on by Anthony J. Guida Jr.

Higher Education: Finding Investment Opportunities in Disruption

The U.S. higher education sector is in the midst of unprecedented transformation. Once defined by expansion and access, the industry now finds itself at a crossroads, shaped by sweeping federal policy changes, heightened demand for workforce-aligned credentials, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence. Anthony Guida, Partner and Education Industry Practice Lead at Duane Morris, authored the white paper “Higher Education: Finding Investment Opportunities in Disruption,” which was published by Houlihan Lokey, a leading independent global advisory firm.

Read the full paper here.

Posted on by Duane Morris

DOJ Announces Pursuing False Claims Act Violations Against Recipients of Federal Funds

On May 19, 2025, Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the U.S. Department of Justice will use the False Claims Act (FCA) to enforce the administration’s policies concerning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices and antisemitism. The FCA is a powerful tool, and its invocation by the DOJ is a signal to federal-funding recipients that they will face increased scrutiny. The May 19 Blanche memo now broadly announces an intention to investigate and pursue alleged FCA violations broadly against all recipients of federal funds, but makes special mention of colleges and universities as a focus of the initiative. Read the full Alert on the Duane Morris website.

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The opinions expressed on this blog are those of the author and are not to be construed as legal advice.

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