Accountability in Higher Education

The Education Department Punished a Beauty School Accreditor. It Could Have Gone Further.

A woman with a bun and black shirt runs a brush and hair dryer through a person sitting through the hair of a faceless person in a salon chair.

The Education Department Punished a Beauty School Accreditor. It Could Have Gone Further.

The Trump administration bars NACCAS from accrediting additional colleges for a year, but stops short of revoking its federal recognition.

Oct 26, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

University of Phoenix to Pay Up to $8.75 Million Over Claims It Shared Student Data With Meta

In Short

University of Phoenix to Pay Up to $8.75 Million Over Claims It Shared Student Data With Meta

The for-profit University of Phoenix settles a lawsuit accusing it of sending student data to Facebook without permission, the latest in a string of legal and policy battles against the s…

Oct 21, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

CCAMPIS Changes Put Politics Ahead of Student Parents

In Short

CCAMPIS Changes Put Politics Ahead of Student Parents

The Education Department awarded fewer CCAMPIS grants as the program got caught up in the Trump administration’s politicized grant processes.

Oct 9, 2026

Stephanie Baker, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

How Americans View a Changing Higher Ed Landscape

In Short

How Americans View a Changing Higher Ed Landscape

Public Insight reviews survey data related to recent policy changes in higher education.

Sep 30, 2026

Olivia Sawyer

Public Comments: U.S. Education Department’s Accreditation Proposal

Testimony / In Short

Public Comments: U.S. Education Department’s Accreditation Proposal

In September 2026, the Higher Education team at New America submitted public comments on the Department of Education's accreditation proposal.

Sep 22, 2026

Wesley Whistle, Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Rachel Fishman, Amy Laitinen

High Cohort Default Rates May Be Looming. Here’s What You Need to Know.

a student wearing a backpack walks in an all white lobby

In Depth

High Cohort Default Rates May Be Looming. Here’s What You Need to Know.

The Cohort Default Rate measures whether institutions leave significant shares of their borrowers unable to repay.

Sep 21, 2026

Olivia Sawyer, Colin Kerr, Sarah Sattelmeyer, Ben Cecil

Accreditor Exposes Sensitive Student Information in ‘AI University’ Case

A small silver lock intwined with a wire and next to a phone.

In Short

Accreditor Exposes Sensitive Student Information in ‘AI University’ Case

The accreditor, the Council on Occupational Education, leaks student records from Maestro College.

Aug 14, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

New Findings on Student and Public Stances on Higher Ed

In Short

New Findings on Student and Public Stances on Higher Ed

Public Insight in July reviews how Americans, parents, and students perceive college values.

Jul 29, 2026

Olivia Sawyer, Sophie Nguyen

‘AI University’ Is Losing Its Accreditation. It Shouldn’t Get It Back.

A sea of computer screens, each lit up by a blue error message.

In Short

‘AI University’ Is Losing Its Accreditation. It Shouldn’t Get It Back.

Maestro College, which used an AI chatbot in lieu of real instructors, is set to have its accreditation revoked after a New America investigation.

Jul 16, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

The Trump Administration Gives Predatory Beauty Schools a Years-Long Pass on Accountability

A black and white image of a pair of hands grabbing a strand of hair and cutting it.

In Short

The Trump Administration Gives Predatory Beauty Schools a Years-Long Pass on Accountability

Jul 13, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

The AI College: How One For-Profit School Substituted Instructors with a Chatbot

Conveyor belt of students on an AI conveyor belt

In Depth

The AI College: How One For-Profit School Substituted Instructors with a Chatbot

An inside look at AI-powered Maestro University exposes a pattern of policy failures, potential legal violations, and widespread frustration among students—acting as a warning sign for higher educatio…

Jul 1, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

What Was Supposed to Save Taxpayers Hundreds of Millions Will Instead Cost Billions: New College Accountability Rules

A pile of green dollar bills with white space above

In Short

What Was Supposed to Save Taxpayers Hundreds of Millions Will Instead Cost Billions: New College Accountability Rules

As the Education Department works on a final gainful employment rule, here are five consequences to be aware of.

Jun 2, 2026

Antoinette Flores

Public Comments: Education Department’s Student Tuition and Transparency System and Earnings Accountability Proposal

Testimony / In Short

Public Comments: Education Department’s Student Tuition and Transparency System and Earnings Accountability Proposal

The Higher Education program submitted public comments to recommend students receive value from enrollment in their academic programs and are not left worse off.

May 28, 2026

Antoinette Flores, Ewaoluwa Obatuase, Olivia Sawyer, Rachel Fishman, Wesley Whistle

Mythbusting Accreditation: Negotiated Rulemaking with Antoinette Flores

Mythbusting Accreditation: Negotiated Rulemaking with Antoinette Flores

May 19, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf

In Final Stretch of Accreditation Negotiations, Trump Administration Resists Compromise

In Short

In Final Stretch of Accreditation Negotiations, Trump Administration Resists Compromise

May 15, 2026

Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, Antoinette Flores

Education & Work

Democratic Futures

Global Security

Technology & Democracy

Thriving Families

What Parents of Young Kids Want: Insights from the 2026 National Parent Survey

New America Celebrates 2026 Pulitzer Prizes

The Care Disconnect: Americans Misjudge Care Realities, But Know Families Need Help

A Model for Associational Party Building

Redrawing School Boundaries for Fairer Funding

Reframing Fusion Voting as a Practical, Powerful Reform Strategy

Harnessing Terrorism Data to Reshape U.S. National Security Policy

Establishing a National Housing Loss Rate

New America Fellows

Assembling in the Age of AI

Small Loans, Big Barriers

Men and Care: Insights from the 2026 Survey and Real Stories from Caregiving Men

The East Wing

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The Education Department Punished a Beauty School Accreditor. It Could Have Gone Further.

University of Phoenix to Pay Up to $8.75 Million Over Claims It Shared Student Data With Meta

CCAMPIS Changes Put Politics Ahead of Student Parents

How Americans View a Changing Higher Ed Landscape

Public Comments: U.S. Education Department’s Accreditation Proposal

High Cohort Default Rates May Be Looming. Here’s What You Need to Know.

Accreditor Exposes Sensitive Student Information in ‘AI University’ Case

New Findings on Student and Public Stances on Higher Ed

‘AI University’ Is Losing Its Accreditation. It Shouldn’t Get It Back.

The Trump Administration Gives Predatory Beauty Schools a Years-Long Pass on Accountability

The AI College: How One For-Profit School Substituted Instructors with a Chatbot

What Was Supposed to Save Taxpayers Hundreds of Millions Will Instead Cost Billions: New College Accountability Rules

Public Comments: Education Department’s Student Tuition and Transparency System and Earnings Accountability Proposal

Mythbusting Accreditation: Negotiated Rulemaking with Antoinette Flores

In Final Stretch of Accreditation Negotiations, Trump Administration Resists Compromise