The university hopes that, in an extraordinary moment of disruption, could become the biggest freshman class this fall, as campuses face economic pressure from the federal government and political conflicts over diversity and other cultural issues.
The admissions process, covered by the Supreme Court's decision to ban positive cases, has been improved. Budget pressure and concerns about financial aid and tuition fees for universities and families. The campus has been committed to the dignity of protest and academic freedom.
And that was before President Trump returned to power.
After he took office in January, his administration almost immediately shut down the education sector and launched a campaign to stop billions of dollars flowing into the university. On campus, the university will close the institute and stand up to civil rights investigations on anti-Semitism.
With around 3.9 million students earning high school diplomas, many heading to college, this change can affect experiences in large and small ways.
Here's how the fuss touches students, parents and others around university campus this year:
Various schools, various issues
The US is close to universities with 4,000 degrees offering everything from associate degrees in nursing to doctorates in history. But the challenge is now almost everywhere in higher education.
The types of federal budget cuts pursued by the Trump administration can be the most damaging for universities where research is essential to the culture and structure of campus. That includes locations like the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins University, as well as schools like Kansas State University. Some have already announced layoffs or employment freezes, and they may be forced to offer courses.
It is unclear how much belt tightening will be tightened and how that will affect undergraduates in the fall.
Local public universities often lack attention, but are the backbone of higher education for millions of people. They haven't targeted the Trump administration, but they face fundamental challenges with the state's budget fight, increasing daily costs and reducing registrations.
On some campuses, students find service and staffing cuts and staffing, with fewer professors, fewer academic resources and fewer buildings closed frequently.
Community colleges are generally much cheaper than their four-year counterparts and still eschew the biggest political battles around higher education. In fact, many politicians are pushing them to be free.
But their troubles are deeply stubborn. While some schools report growth in enrollment this semester, community colleges have been struggling with poor performance for years.
Private universities are mixed bags. Many remain strong when they are susceptible to criticism of their costs and political tendencies. However, dozens have been closed in recent years, and students are rushing to find a new academic home.
Will university payments change?
There are suggested changes and then the actual changes.
Trump's efforts to dismantle the education sector will curb two federal programs: Pell's grants and student loans.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said at her confirmation hearing that she would like to expand the Pell grant program, which is aimed at low-income students. However, if the education sector is gone, it is not clear which institution or organization will administer the grant.
On Friday, Trump said small business managers will take over their federal student loan portfolio “quickly.” The Student Borrower Protection Center called his ideas “illegal, caring and distracting.”
Given the enormous nature of the loan program, a quick transfer seems highly unlikely. Until Congress or federal courts are involved, and in time both may occur — the financial aid and loan application process remains the same. FAFSA stands for free application for federal student aid and has been working better than ever for this application season after a rough redesign of the application. However, it is not clear how recent education sector layoffs will affect the process.
The biggest wildcard may be the university itself and what kind of grants and scholarships they will give. Many schools are worried about the possibility of a decline in international students as they halt their employment to save money.
What's not clear is whether schools ask students to pay more than they do other ways (due to concerns about budget hits due to loss of federal funds), or to pay less (to ensure they commit in the first place).
How campus culture is changing
Diversity, equity and inclusive programs seemed like a good idea for many universities as they sought to increase enrollment in a competitive situation. But the backlash has led state lawmakers to take away such programs, and now the Trump administration is also attacking them.
The university responds in a variety of ways.
Sometimes the school was simply renamed Operation DEI. Other universities are more aggressive. In March 2024, the University of Florida fired a 13-member DEI staff in response to, say, a state ban.
On some campuses, students are very likely to feel a difference.
The University of Virginia has elicited training on topics such as DEI and microaggressions from its website. At the University of Houston, the campus newspaper announced that LGBTQ centers are being closed after Texas banned diversity programming at the university. The University of North Florida had all closed LGBTQ Centers, Women's Centers, Interfaith Centers and Cross-Cultural Centers.
At Missouri State University in January, students protested the elimination of the annual Diversity Conference and the “Inclusive Excellence” Gala.
There is still a holdout. In a recent meeting with senators at Amherst University in Massachusetts, President Michael Elliott called Trump's orders vague and said Amherst would not cut it.
Schools that have seen major protests in the war in Gaza could face blunt pressure from Washington, including discipline and other institutional policies associated with the protest, as well as even curricula related to the Middle East.
Republican efforts to curb diversity programming could extend to classrooms. Long before Trump began his second term, several states, including Florida, tried to stand by ideas from the university curriculum, which lawmakers consider to be left-leaning.
That could lead to limited courses offered rather than touching on race or gender. For now, Florida courses are still available, but not required.
Other efforts are underway. For example, Arizona's bill would cut all state funding if it relates “modern American society” to ideas such as white people or systemic racism.
What does a positive ban mean to students?
The 2023 Supreme Court decision to overthrow race-conscious admissions has overthrew nearly 50 years of court precedents and university policies, and its impact on hospitalizations, particularly in the country's most selective system, may remain unknown for years to come.
Class statistics entered into the fall show a significant decrease in the number of registered Black students. Like Harvard Law School, there were some differences. Harvard Law School had enrolled 19 black first-year students last fall, with 43 from the previous year.
However, there are a few exceptions to this trend. And given the difficulty of comparing different counting methods across universities, staff were reluctant to predict how the future would unfold.
Schools are seeking to maintain diversity by increasing financial aid and recruitment, especially in rural areas. Several universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, offer free tuition fees to students whose families earn more than $200,000.
The court also revealed the possibility that universities could consider race in the context of life tasks, especially as students presented in their application essays. However, critics of positive behavior, such as the fair admissions students who filed the Supreme Court case, are ready to challenge the university when they see tips on race-based decisions.
The Violation Conduct Group will also scrutinise measures such as SAT scores and, if they can obtain them, see if the university uses different criteria for different races and ethnicities.
