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DEIA News Round-Up: July 2026
Posted on July 30, 2026 in Blog Posts
Authors:
Fatima Mohie-Eldin
Report Finds That Diversity-Based Scholarships Are on the Decline
Source: The Washington Post
According to the National Scholarship Providers Association, many scholarships that were previously earmarked for students of minoritized groups are not being eliminated outright, but are instead changing their application criteria, owing to political pressure from the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI. As a result, the number of diversity scholarships has shrunk from 15 percent in 2023, when the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action, to 11 percent today. The situation is slightly complex, in part because private foundations that issue scholarships are not governed by all the same statutes that regulate colleges, and also because those foundations must honor donors’ conditions when applying their donations.
HBCU Symposium Highlights the Importance of Corporate Partnerships and Institutional Collaboration
Source: The EDU Ledger
At the 16th annual HBCU Philanthropy Symposium, hosted by Delaware State University (DSU) in mid-July, attendees discussed ways to help their institutions advance amid many challenges facing higher ed. Given their historic underfunding, HBCUs have often had to pursue more creative avenues for support, as DSU President Dr. Tony Allen noted. The most notable example that attendees highlighted is the creation of South Carolina’s Institutes of Innovation and Information in 2022, a collaboration among the state’s seven HBCUs intended to bolster state funding, corporate partnerships, and student scholarships and internships. Multiple HBCUs have also reported increased donations from private foundations in recent years, partly spurred by MacKenzie Scott’s lead, and corporate interest in their athletics programs.
North Carolina Joins Conservative-Led States in Banning DEI at Public Colleges
Source: Higher Ed Dive
At the end of June, North Carolina’s state legislature passed a new law that prohibits DEI programs, offices, and policies at the state’s public colleges and universities. The legislation, which invokes Executive Order 14173 (“Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity”) from 2025, joins a roster of 33 similar laws passed in 17 other states, also aimed at banning DEI. The vote overrides a veto by Democratic Governor Josh Stein. A similar law banning DEI in K–12 education was also recently passed despite the governor’s veto.
House Hearing Investigates DEI in Medical Schools
Source: Inside Higher Ed
At a hearing on July 14, House Republicans questioned top administrators from the medical schools of the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, San Francisco; and the University of Illinois about whether their institutions incorporate DEI considerations in “admissions, hiring, curricula[,] and patient care.” The hearing is part of a broader political effort, currently underway, targeting medical schools’ admissions policies—the Department of Justice recently declared Yale and UCLA’s medical schools in violation of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling. This also comes amid new federal student loan rules that cap student loans for professional studies at $200,000, a lifetime limit that is sure to decrease the number of medical school graduates.
The Trump Administration Seeks Rule Changes for Awarding Federal Grants
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
A new proposal from the Trump administration seeks to rewrite the rules for how federal research grants are awarded. The proposed changes would shift the grant evaluation process from independent peer reviewers to those selected by the administration, ultimately leading to “a top-down decision-making apparatus.” Opponents say the move would make it harder to secure grants. Additionally, the new rules place greater restrictions on how grant funds can be used, e.g., prohibiting their use for conferences or international research collaboration, significant hindrances for researchers. Despite assurances from government officials that these changes are meant to “depoliticize” the grant-making process, the new rules would outright reject any proposals espousing “anti-American values,” a vague designation.
Federal Judges Block Trump’s Attempt to Limit the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Source: The Conversation US
The Trump administration previously sought to limit access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program by restricting eligible employers. Their main target: nonprofits whose work opposes the administration’s agenda. However, U.S. District Court Judge Myong Joun, in Massachusetts, and U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali, in Washington, D.C., both issued judgments on June 30 to prevent this change from going into effect. Law Professor Benjamin Leff breaks down what the Trump administration’s proposed change would have entailed for the PSLF program and why the two judgments are noteworthy.
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