The Trump administration is demanding changes to the way the Illinois State Board of Education handles student recordkeeping and mental health screenings, claiming that it may violate federal law.

Incidents of sexual assault on college campuses are making national headlines after a former student at Cornell University filed a lawsuit last month alleging she was gang raped in a fraternity house in 2024.

The women are part of the Northwestern Prison Education Program, which offers coursework taught by university faculty — including classes in political science, psychology and history.

College sports fans have watched the business of the game change dramatically in recent years, from rising payments to players to unlimited transfers between schools. The Protect College Sports Act passed the U.S. Senate 77-22 last week.

Sexual assault on college campuses is making headlines across the country. A former student at Cornell University filed a lawsuit earlier this month accusing the school and local law enforcement of mishandling her report alleging she was gang raped in a fraternity house for hours.

Both Chicago-area universities fell slightly in the new rankings, coming in a tie for ninth place, but they remained the highest-ranked schools both in Illinois and the Midwest as a whole.

Previously, graduate students had been able to take out federal loans up to the full cost of their degree. Trump officials pushed for new loan caps to rein in student debt and lower tuition prices that they said had grown out of control.

Shantay Bolton was appointed the 11th president and CEO of Columbia College Chicago at what she calls a “pivotal moment” for the school. Bolton, who is the first woman of color to lead the minority-serving institution, inherits a campus that has seen enrollment steadily decline over the last decade.

The Higher Education Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Engineers Pilot Program will reimburse engineers up to $15,000 annually after four years of service at the agency.

As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities at community colleges aimed at bolstering the state’s manufacturing labor pool.

For the first time in five years, certain forms of student loan forgiveness will be taxable following a change in federal tax policy this year.

The “professional” label would allow students to borrow larger amounts of federal loans to pursue graduate degrees.

Northwestern University has agreed to pay $75 million to the federal government. The settlement with the Trump administration would restore $790 million in federal research grants that were frozen earlier this year, and end investigations on discrimination.

The proposal has drawn pushback from the nursing community, which argues the reclassification could limit students’ financial access to advanced nursing degrees.

Since he took office, President Donald Trump has called for the dismantling of the Education Department, saying it has been overrun by liberal thinking. In July the U.S. Supreme Court upheld mass layoffs that halved the department’s staff.

Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Board of Higher Education on Monday announced that total enrollment in Illinois public universities increased for the second year in a row and hit its highest overall level in 10 years.