Hacker News with Generative AI: Higher Education

Trump Pauses Federal Grants to Princeton (nytimes.com)
The Trump administration moved this week to suspend dozens of federal grants to Princeton University, the fourth Ivy League school that has seen its financial support from Washington reduced or explicitly threatened since March.
Politics, Higher Education, Trump Administration
15 points by as7753 2 days ago | 0 comments
My son has been rejected from all but 1 school (reddit.com)
My eldest son has been rejected by every college he applied to, except for our flagship state school, UMass Amherst. He is the singular brightest, most self-motivated, and most hardworking person I know.
College Admissions, Higher Education, Personal Experiences
5 points by htareque 2 days ago | 3 comments
The average college student today (hilariusbookbinder.substack.com)
I’m Gen X. I was pretty young when I earned my PhD, so I’ve been a professor for a long time—over 30 years. If you’re not in academia, or it’s been awhile since you were in college, you might not know this: the students are not what they used to be.
Generational Differences, Education, Higher Education, College Students
745 points by Jyaif 4 days ago | 970 comments
Oil and gas money shapes research, creates 'echo chamber' in higher education (floodlightnews.org)
Louisiana’s flagship university is looking to partner more closely with petrochemical industries in the state
Higher Education, Research, Louisiana
45 points by rntn 5 days ago | 7 comments
Masked homeland security abducting foreign graduate student from Tufts (apnews.com)
A Turkish national who is a doctoral student at Tufts University has been detained by federal agents without explanation, her lawyer said on Wednesday.
Immigration, Law Enforcement, Higher Education, Human Rights, International Relations
152 points by pmags 7 days ago | 26 comments
NYU Website Hacked (archive.org)
On June 29 2023, racial affirmative action in college admissions was ruled illegal. Computer Niggy Exploitation (CNE) reveals NYU continued anyway.
Cybersecurity, Higher Education, Activism
23 points by mikevm 12 days ago | 28 comments
NYU.edu Defaced (nyu.edu)
On June 29 2023, racial affirmative action in college admissions was ruled illegal. Computer Niggy Exploitation (CNE) reveals NYU continued anyway.
Cybersecurity, Higher Education, Affirmative Action, Law
16 points by jeffalo 12 days ago | 6 comments
The University of California Will Stop Requiring Diversity Statements in Hiring (nytimes.com)
The University of California said on Wednesday that it would stop requiring the use of diversity statements in hiring, a practice praised by some who said it made campuses more inclusive but criticized by others who said it did the opposite.
Higher Education, Diversity, Hiring Practices, Policy Changes
9 points by TMWNN 13 days ago | 0 comments
University of California orders hiring freeze, cuts (latimes.com)
Facing unprecedented threats by the Trump administration to slash medical and science research funding key to its mission as the nation’s premier public university system, the University of California announced on Wednesday a systemwide hiring freeze to stave off layoffs and downsizing.
Higher Education, Funding, Politics, California
7 points by strangeloops85 15 days ago | 2 comments
'It Is Facing a Campaign of Annihilation': 3 Columnists on War Against Academia (nytimes.com)
Patrick Healy, the deputy Opinion editor, hosted an online conversation with the Times Opinion columnists M. Gessen, Tressie McMillan Cottom and Bret Stephens about Donald Trump’s attacks on Columbia University and other elite colleges and how they became vulnerable to a political and ideological reckoning.
Politics, Academia, Higher Education, Opinion, Journalism
13 points by jarsin 16 days ago | 2 comments
Trump demands admissions overhaul and control of academic department at Columbia (pbs.org)
The Trump administration has delivered an extraordinary ultimatum to Columbia University, threatening to permanently end federal funding to the Ivy League school unless it cedes control of an international studies department and implements sweeping changes to other campus policies.
Politics, Higher Education, Universities, Trump Administration
20 points by zekrioca 16 days ago | 7 comments
Brown University Professor Is Deported Despite a Judge's Order (nytimes.com)
A kidney transplant specialist and professor at Brown University’s medical school has been deported from the United States, even though she had a valid visa and a court order temporarily blocking her expulsion, according to her lawyer and court papers.
Immigration, Law, Higher Education, Medical Professionals
138 points by apical_dendrite 17 days ago | 49 comments
Hiring at Harvard University paused due to 'shifting federal policies' (upi.com)
Harvard University announced a faculty and staff hiring freeze Monday.
Harvard University, Hiring Freeze, Higher Education, Federal Policy
10 points by belter 23 days ago | 0 comments
ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests (apnews.com)
Federal immigration authorities arrested a Palestinian graduate student who played a prominent role in protests against Israel at Columbia University, according to his attorney.
Politics, Activism, Immigration, Higher Education
88 points by zzzeek 24 days ago | 30 comments
Trump Pulled $400M from Columbia. Other Schools Could Be Next (nytimes.com)
The Trump Administration’s abrupt withdrawal of $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University cast a pall over at least nine other campuses worried they could be next.
Politics, Education, Finance, Higher Education
24 points by breadwinner 25 days ago | 14 comments
2025 Hiring Pause (hr.cornell.edu)
Together with all of American higher education, Cornell is entering a time of significant financial uncertainty. The potential for deep cuts in federal research funding, as well as tax legislation affecting our endowment income, has now been added to existing concerns related to rapid growth and cost escalations. It is imperative that we navigate this challenging financial landscape with a shared understanding and common purpose, to continue to advance our mission, strengthen our academic community, and deepen our impact.
Higher Education, Funding, Financial Uncertainty
182 points by MinimalAction 32 days ago | 164 comments
Despite sticker prices, the real cost of getting a degree has been going down (theatlantic.com)
Despite ever-higher sticker prices, the real cost of getting a degree has been going down.
Education, Economics, Higher Education
75 points by linusg789 39 days ago | 172 comments
U. of Pittsburgh pauses Ph.D. admissions amid research funding uncertainty (wesa.fm)
Amid uncertainty about frozen research aid from the National Institutes of Health, the University of Pittsburgh has put its Ph.D. admissions on ice.
Research Funding, Higher Education, Science, Universities
142 points by jslezak 39 days ago | 13 comments
Penn to reduce graduate admissions, rescind acceptances amid research cuts (thedp.com)
Penn directed department chairs to significantly reduce admissions rates across graduate programs in the face of federal research funding cuts, multiple faculty members told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Higher Education, Admissions, Research Funding
331 points by strangeloops85 39 days ago | 656 comments
Claims of college grade inflation and dumbing-down are overblown (greyenlightenment.com)
Claims of college grade inflation and dumbing-down are overblown
Education, Higher Education, College, Grading
11 points by debesyla 41 days ago | 7 comments
Coursera's 2025 Strategy: Focusing on Campus, Scaling Back Degrees (classcentral.com)
As revealed in a recent earnings call, Coursera’s strategy is to integrate into existing university curricula, prioritizing ‘Coursera for Campus’ over its own online degree programs.
Education, Online Learning, Coursera, Higher Education, Strategy
4 points by raybb 52 days ago | 0 comments
Tell HN: Title: The UC Berkeley Job Market Meltdown–What No One Wants to Admit (ycombinator.com)
I work in administration at UC Berkeley, and I need to say this: something is deeply broken.
University, Labor Market, Higher Education, California
12 points by UCBThrowaway 52 days ago | 9 comments
Colleges limit AP credits to maximize tuition revenue: study (thecollegefix.com)
Universities across the U.S. are preventing students from earning a degree in less than four years by accepting fewer Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credits, a recent report by the Progressive Policy Institute found.
Education, Higher Education, Tuition, College Admissions, AP Credits
11 points by Eumenes 85 days ago | 1 comments
Why aren't we talking about the real reason male college enrollment is dropping? (celestemdavis.substack.com)
“Nearly 60 percent of all college students today are women. That’s an all-time high… U.S. colleges and universities have lost about 1.5 million students in the past several years. Men accounted for 71 percent of that loss.”
Education, Demographics, Gender, Higher Education
18 points by tempestn 92 days ago | 24 comments
Math Education Needs Reform. It Got a War Instead (alumni.berkeley.edu)
On July 7, 2023, a University of California faculty committee unanimously voted to reverse a highly controversial policy.
Education, Politics, Controversy, Higher Education
11 points by 7402 105 days ago | 2 comments
University of Michigan eliminates DEI statements as part of faculty hiring (cbsnews.com)
The University of Michigan will no longer ask for diversity statements as part of its hiring process and when considering promotion and tenure.
Higher Education, DEI, Hiring Practices
6 points by nsoonhui 118 days ago | 0 comments
Marshall Brain died hours after alleging retaliation at NC State (technicianonline.com)
Questions are surrounding the death of a popular NC State faculty member, whom NC State police found dead in his office on Nov. 20.
Death, Allegations, Higher Education, NC State, Faculty
214 points by HappyKasper 127 days ago | 148 comments
How the Ivy League Broke America (theatlantic.com)
The meritocracy isn’t working. We need something new.
Higher Education, Social Issues, Inequality, Meritocracy
25 points by chrisaycock 140 days ago | 16 comments
Graduate Degrees Are Overrated (lemire.me)
Though I have many brilliant graduate students, I love working with undergraduate students. And I am not at all sure that you should favor people with graduate degrees, given a choice. Many graduate students tend to favor abstraction over practical skills. They often have an idealized view of the world. Moreover, these students are often consumed by research projects, theses, or dissertations, and the publication of scientific articles, which limits their time for concrete actions.
Education, Higher Education, Skills, Academia
3 points by ibobev 141 days ago | 1 comments
Graduate Degrees Are Overrated (lemire.me)
Though I have many brilliant graduate students, I love working with undergraduate students. And I am not at all sure that you should favor people with graduate degrees, given a choice. Many graduate students tend to favor abstraction over practical skills. They often have an idealized view of the world. Moreover, these students are often consumed by research projects, theses, or dissertations, and the publication of scientific articles, which limits their time for concrete actions.
Education, Higher Education, Career Advice
12 points by usdogu 142 days ago | 8 comments