IronCircle Ran Boot Camps Under 20+ University Names. Here Is What the Outcomes Data Showed

Also in this issue

• California Opens Its Workforce Pell Approval Portal on Oct. 21

  California opens its Workforce Pell portal Oct. 21. Short-term programs have to show real economic value to get approved.

• Experts Say Higher Education Is an Industry in Turmoil, and the Collateral Damage Is Widespread

  Huron says 442 of 1,700 private nonprofit colleges could close or merge in the next decade.

• Career Readiness Needs an Architecture, Not an Add-On

  Internships, projects and employer ties already exist on most campuses. This column argues the missing piece is the system that connects them.

• The Next Step in Dual Enrollment: Career Pathways

  A third of high school grads took 3+ CTE credits but never a dual enrollment course. CCRC says that's community colleges' next pipeline.

• The New Earnings Test Hits Only 2.5% of Aided Students, and Most of Them Are in Certificates

  Only 2.5% of aided students sit in programs likely to fail the new earnings test, but 63% of them are in undergrad certificates.

• 5 Independent Colleges Sign On as Founding Members of a New Accreditor

  Five independent colleges joined a new accreditor promising standards built around student achievement and educational value.

• Maryland Awards $16.4M to Train and Keep Rural Health Care Workers

  Maryland put $16.4M into rural health workforce grants, from dental assistant pipelines to registered apprenticeships.

• MacKenzie Scott's $42M Gift Helps 10,000 Degrees Double the Students It Supports

  A $42M Scott gift lets 10,000 Degrees double to 10,000 students a year, using AI to find who needs help first.

• Owned, Not Licensed: Why Community Colleges Should Build Their Own AI Infrastructure

  Only 2% of colleges have new money for AI costs. One community college leader says the answer is building, not licensing.

• Some Texas Colleges Get OK for New Workforce Pell That Pays for Job Training

  Five Texas community colleges can now take Workforce Pell for short-term programs from HVAC to phlebotomy.

• Minnesota State Weighs Plan to Move Money From Two-Year Colleges to Struggling Universities

  Minnesota State may shift up to $25M a year, mostly from its two-year colleges, to cover a $31.5M deficit.

• Penn State Looks to Cut 47 Undergraduate Degrees

  Penn State wants to cut 47 degrees over weak demand and grow 50+ others it sees as tied to student and workforce needs.

• Colleges Are Cutting Administrative Jobs, and Critics Say That's a Good Thing

  College staff headcount fell 6.6% in 2025, the sharpest drop in a decade, and advisers are among the cuts.

• Career Readiness Should Be Developmental, Not Episodic

  4.6 million students who wanted an internship couldn't get one. One placement junior year can't be the whole career plan.

• What Students Value Most About College

  Students rate economic return as the weakest part of college's value, and Pell recipients rate it lowest of all at 60.3%.

• Americans May Have Soured on College, but the Data Show They're Still Going

  Only 31% of Americans call college very important, a record low. Enrollment data say they're still enrolling anyway.

• Texas Awards $20M+ in JET Career Training Grants to 84 Colleges and Schools

  Texas put $20M+ into career training equipment at 84 colleges and schools, aiming to train 7,400+ students for high-demand jobs in year one.

• Guaranteed Tuition Spreads to the Middle Class: 34 of 45 Texas Public Universities Now Cover It

  34 of 45 Texas public universities now guarantee tuition, and 19 programs serve families earning $100K or more.