2025 Annual Risk Retrospective

HigherEdRisk Editorial

There is a lot to say about the higher education risk landscape in 2025. The speed at which the executive orders came out generated news story after news story, but behind those stories are some underlying risks that may not have received the attention they deserved.These risks didn't appear; instead, they grew over time. Higher education is at a crossroads, and it's not because of one factor or one administration. It's about what higher education needs to do to meet the needs of a globally technologically advanced society that doesn't have time to wait and where students of all ages need more affordable options, whether a bachelor's degree, an apprenticeship, or a 2-year degree. I have composed the following list based upon our posts at HigherEdRisk, the federal government, and from major higher education news outlets.<h3>2025 Top Headlines</h3><ol><li>Crackdown on <a target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary underline cursor-pointer XAIccGRXYGJrKwyyJYDCGhNgTWY " href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-takes-action-eliminate-dei">DEI</a></li><li>Cuts to <a target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary underline cursor-pointer XAIccGRXYGJrKwyyJYDCGhNgTWY " href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/improving-oversight-of-federal-grantmaking/">federal research funding</a></li><li><a target="_self" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text-primary underline cursor-pointer XAIccGRXYGJrKwyyJYDCGhNgTWY " href="https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-announces-six-new-agency-partnerships-break-federal-bureaucracy">Restructuring</a> the Depa