Higher Education – UpdateED

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.

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.

September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 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.

June 11, 2025June 11, 2025 by Duane Morris

Duane Morris Education Group Nationally Recognized by Chambers USA

Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announced that Chambers USA has nationally recognized its Education Industry Group and Anthony Guida Jr., partner and team lead of the group.

May 27, 2025 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.

November 14, 2024November 13, 2024 by Duane Morris

Webinar Replay: Post-Election Analysis: Federal Regulatory and Legislative Impacts on College and University Operations

A replay of Post-Election Analysis – Federal Regulatory and Legislative Impacts on College and University Operations is now available for viewing.

October 22, 2024October 22, 2024 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Post-Election Analysis: Federal Regulatory and Legislative Impacts on College and University Operations

Duane Morris will present the next entry in its webinar series, Boot Camp for Education Legal Leadership: Higher Education at the Political and Legal Crossroads: Protecting Your Institution’s Mission During a Time of Uncertainty, Post-Election Analysis – Federal Regulatory and Legislative Impacts on College and University Operations, to be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern | 11:00 a.m. Pacific.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

May 6, 2024 by Kathryn R. Brown

DOL Raises the Threshold Salary for Exempt Status Under the FLSA: What the Overtime Expansion Means for the Education Sector

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced on April 23, 2024 a significant expansion to overtime eligibility via the Final Rule: Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees. The Final Rule increases the minimum salary level applicable to the overtime exemptions for executive, administrative and professional (EAP) employees for federal law purposes under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), but does not change the salary basis or duties components of exempt status.

The Final Rule largely tracks the changes announced in the DOL’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on September 8, 2023. This post focuses on the impact of the Final Rule to the education sector. For a more comprehensive analysis of the Final Rule as applicable to employers in all sectors, including assessment of the potential for legal challenges to the Final Rule, see the Alert Duane Morris published. Continue reading “DOL Raises the Threshold Salary for Exempt Status Under the FLSA: What the Overtime Expansion Means for the Education Sector”

January 31, 2024March 4, 2024 by Duane Morris

Webinar: Compliance and Best Practices for Catalogs, Publications and Student-Facing Materials

Duane Morris is hosting Compliance and Best Practices for Catalogs, Publications and Student-Facing Materials, the second session in its Boot Camp for Education Legal Leadership series. The webinar takes place Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern | 11:00 a.m. Pacific.

About the Program

The start of the year is an excellent time for institutions to review their policies and establish a review cycle for all of their student-facing publications. In this session, Duane Morris Education attorneys will discuss strategies and best practices for institutions conducting policy, catalog and handbook reviews for the 2023-24 academic year with a focus on the value these materials have in mitigating institutional risk in the current active regulatory climate.