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The largest-ever class of high school seniors is about to graduate, just as colleges are facing major upheaval. Here’s what they could face as they head to campus.
March 25, 2025Updated 10:57 a.m. ET
Colleges are expecting what could be the largest freshman class ever this fall at a moment of extraordinary turmoil, as campuses face financial pressures from the federal government and political conflict over diversity and other cultural issues.
Admissions processes, upended by the Supreme Court decision to ban affirmative action, have been revamped. Budget pressures and worries about financial aid and tuition loom for colleges and families alike. Campuses have been grappling with protests and the sanctity of academic freedom.
And that was before President Trump’s return to power.
After he took office in January, his administration almost immediately began a campaign to close the Education Department and stop billions of dollars from flowing to colleges. On campuses, universities are shutting down laboratories and confronting civil rights investigations over antisemitism.
As about 3.9 million students earn their high school diplomas and many of them head to college, the changes could affect their experiences in big and small ways.
Here’s how the commotion might touch students, their parents and anyone else around college campuses this year.
Different schools, different problems
The United States has close to 4,000 degree-granting colleges and universities that offer everything from associate’s degrees in nursing to doctorates in history. But challenges are just about everywhere in higher education right now.
