Navigating Uncertainty
By Karen Treon, Senior Editor & College Parent
At the time of this posting (February of 2025) many students and families are in the middle of making college decisions, assessing finances and priorities and desires. These decisions are happening against the backdrop of Executive Orders and other directives that potentially impact higher education costs and programs.
This is a rapidly evolving issue with many moving parts, so we are not able to provide updates and analysis. We are able to point you to some helpful resources that will provide updates, and we hope it helps your family navigate any uncertainty.
General Information and Updates: For information on the status and impact of changes to research grant funding and other directives, we suggest following Inside Higher Education. The reporting on this site (such as this article about hiring freezes and this article about programming and curriculum changes) can help your family keep track of developments and understand potential impacts.
College Specific Information and Updates:
The impacts of the orders and directives vary significantly depending on the characteristics of a university or college (public or private, extent and type of research conducted, other funding sources, etc.) and the state in which the university or college is located (some states have taken legal action regarding the grant funding changes and others have not). We have been watching the websites of universities and have found that most are doing an excellent job keeping students informed. We suggest that families and students keep up with the announcements from the school(s) their student is attending or considering attending. We also suggest that families and students follow the student-run newspapers and news outlets at these schools for an undergraduate perspective on the developments. A few examples of these types of updates are listed below:
Field of Study Information and Updates:
If your student is studying or is interested in studying a field that is more likely to be affected, you may be able to find very specific updates about that field at their school. One great example is the University of Michigan, which is tracking federal changes and the impacts at Michigan:
Financial Aid Specific Information and Updates:
Our advice for current high school students and current college students is:
Complete FAFSA (original submission or renewal)
Monitor email communication and portal communication from your college financial aid office and follow up on to-do items (and remember to call those offices with questions - they are well-informed and are there to help)
To keep track of developments overall, you can keep an eye on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators website. An additional resource we rely on is the California Student Aid Commission website (also on Instagram at @castudentaid). This California state agency provides up to date and accurate information on federal financial aid. They also provide California specific information, but they are very clear in identifying which information is general and which is California-specific. (This is a great site for help with FAFSA questions too.)
Some national publications, such as Forbes magazine, are covering these issues closely. For example, Forbes recently ran an article addressing recordkeeping advice for all student loan holders.
As a reminder, the impacts will vary from school-to-school and student-to-student based on multiple factors. The impact on your student will likely be different from the impact on your student’s best friend or cousin. If you have questions, it is best to rely on the communication from your student’s school (or prospective school).
