Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.
Dear Colleagues,
The past several days have been the equivalent of Finals Week in Washington as Congress has been cramming to get its work completed prior to its holiday recess, including several issues affecting higher education.
As Washington Update went to press last night, the Senate was working behind closed doors to reach agreements to bring to a vote a package of appropriations bills that include the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, but passage was not certain. Two important amendments to the bill were filed to raise the annual borrowing limit for non-professional graduate programs and to implement the FAIR model to address indirect research costs.
On the graduate loans front, Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) filed an amendment to raise the annual borrowing limit for non-professional graduate programs from $20,500 to $30,000. However, process and political realities forced that amendment to be pulled from consideration during this round of negotiations.
NAICU will continue to work with lawmakers to seize opportunities to address the graduate loan issues when Congress reconvenes in the new year.
On indirect costs, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the chair of the Appropriations Committee, filed an amendment in support of the FAIR model alternative proposal to modernize federal reimbursement for indirect research costs, the fate of which we will report on if the bill moves. Earlier this week, I joined other higher education leaders in meeting with the Office of Management and Budget to highlight the model and its importance to colleges and universities.
Additionally, I participated in the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Task Force on Higher Education’s second “Summit on the State-Federal Relationship in Higher Education.” These discussions will inform the task force’s next report, which will detail bipartisan strategies that states and higher education can pursue to enhance the value of degrees. The report will be released next fall.
As you can see, these issues, plus dozens of others affecting private, nonprofit higher education, are front and center in policy debates in Washington and will continue to be into next year. This means that NAICU’s Advocacy Day, the traditional day when our membership heads to Capitol Hill to meet with their congressional delegations, will take on even greater importance when we meet for our Annual Meeting & Advocacy Day, February 1-4, 2026. We will be marking NAICU’s 50th anniversary and Charting the Future of Independent Higher Education. I hope you can join us in Washington in February!
Soundbites
- Travel Ban Expanded to 39 Countries. The Trump Administration issued a Presidential Proclamation that will increase the number of countries affected by a travel ban to the U.S. from 19 to 39. These additions will continue to impact international students seeking to study in the U.S. on student visas, including students from many African countries like Nigeria, which has been one of the highest senders of students to the U.S. The ban will take effect on January 1, 2026, and will not impact current visa holders.
- ACTS Survey Now Open. The 2025–26 Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) survey is now open in IPEDS, with keyholder access through March 18, 2026, and coordinator access through April 1, 2026. It applies to four-year bachelor’s and higher–granting institutions and collects detailed admissions, enrollment, financial aid, and outcomes data, including both current-year and retrospective data back to 2019–20. Help is available through the IPEDS Help Desk or via email at ipedshelp@rti.org.
- NACUA Workshop on Compliance Issues. NAICU is a cooperating association for the National Association of College and University Attorneys’ Winter 2026 Virtual CLE Workshop on compliance issues. The workshop will focus on compliance program administration and legal and regulatory updates on a wide variety of issues crucial to campus staff with significant responsibility for college and university compliance. The online workshop takes place January 28-30, 2026.
This is the final issue of Washington Update for the year. We will be on a holiday hiatus and return to our regular distribution schedule on January 9, 2026. During this period, if there is breaking news that needs to be covered, we will report on it and communicate it to you.
This has been a remarkable year in so many ways. We have made incredible progress on the issues facing independent higher education and the students we serve. Your contributions, and those of the entire NAICU membership, play a vital role in ensuring that our voices are heard. We have much work ahead and will need to hit the ground running early in the New Year.
I wish you a safe, happy, healthy, and restful holiday season and a very Happy New Year!
For more information, please contact:
Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.