Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday approved a bill creating a direct admissions program. Along with it, he approved bills that implement new state standards for programs offering college credits to high school students, and new requirements for financial aid application assistance.

The finding from the administration is the latest intensification in the White House’s battle with Harvard, which lost more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants after rejecting a list of federal demands calling for sweeping changes to campus governance, hiring and admissions.

In the Trump administration’s latest attack against international students, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week the U.S. will begin “aggressively” revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party and those studying in “critical fields.”

“You don’t get everything done in one year,” Gov. JB Pritzker said during a post-session news conference when asked about several of his initiatives that failed to pass this year. “Sometimes they (lawmakers) spend two years, four years, six years, trying to get something big done.”

The report says Illinois graduates who transferred from a community college take out, on average, 38% more debt than those who start at four-year schools. Transfer students also attempt an average of nine more credits during their college career than those who don’t transfer.

The community college proposal is intended to make certain four-year degrees available through lower-cost institutions and more accessible to older, nontraditional students who don’t live near a four-year institution.

While there is skepticism among some in the Jewish community over the sincerity of the Trump administration’s policies, some others are welcoming the actions as a positive step forward and the nation’s most aggressive push against anti-Jewish hate yet.

The cost of tuition and fees for statewide undergraduates on average has risen 10% higher since FY09 than if it had simply kept pace with inflation. For graduate students, that discrepancy is 16%.

“We’re cutting off the pipeline to the workforce in science in the United States,” said Dr. Linda Forst, a professor at UIC. “So, it’s bad news for these students immediately, but it’s bad news for the United States over the long haul because we don’t have a new workforce coming through.”

Leaders from several Illinois universities signed onto a public statement Tuesday, alongside more than 200 university leaders across the U.S., speaking out against the Trump administration’s efforts to change university policies under the threat of cutting federal funding.

Illinois hosts one of the largest international student populations in the nation, ranking fifth, with more than 55,000 international students, according to a 2024 Open Doors report.

UChicago is among nearly 50 institutions under investigation for alleged racial discrimination related to DEI programs. Namely, the college’s partnership with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that aims to increase diversity in the business world.

There was significant growth in several enrollment categories, including a nearly 20% increase in students enrolled in dual credit programs, which allow high school students to earn college credits.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in 2023, diversity is in decline at medical schools nationwide.

In February, the Trump administration announced deep cuts to National Institutes of Health grants for research institutions, a shift that could reduce the money going to some universities by over $100 million.

The agency’s main role is financial. Annually, it distributes billions in federal money to colleges and schools and manages the federal student loan portfolio. Closing the department would mean redistributing each of those duties to another agency.