"Rage bait” was the word of the year, according to Oxford University Press. And there was certainly some of that in and about higher education in 2025," Inside Higher Ed reports.

...Mixed messaging on affordability and cost transparency: Half of presidents (50 percent) said that public concerns about higher ed’s affordability are very or extremely valid. But in an apparent disconnect, 88 percent of CBOs agreed that their institution’s net price is sufficiently affordable. Our other campus leaders and student surveys repeatedly linked declining confidence in higher ed to affordability concerns, distinct from the value debate, in 2025. Colleges are expensive to run and pricing structures are complex, but one opportunity area is more clarity about the full cost of attendance, including and beyond tuition—an issue in which Congress is increasingly interested. Just 11 percent of respondents to the 2025 Survey of College and University Student Success Administrators said students at their institution generally understand the full cost of attendance (COA). And 27 percent of respondents to the main annual Student Voice survey said they understood COA and could budget appropriately. This rate was even lower for students who’d seriously considered stopping out.

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has a voluntary College Cost Transparency Initiative regarding financial aid letters, though in a fall editor’s note, Inside Higher Ed’s editor in chief, Sara Custer, pointed out that fewer than 800 colleges have signed on.

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 12/17/2025