Higher Ed Insider September 25, 2026

If the last edition was about Washington writing rules, this one is about families being handed tools — and being told, in several different ways, that outcomes now matter more than prestige. The 2027-28 FAFSA opened on September 23, the earliest launch in the program’s history. Three days earlier, U.S. News released rankings that for the first time reward graduates’ earnings by major, and the result was the first new No. 1 in fifteen years. Meanwhile, a new Census Bureau study put hard numbers on something parents have been asking me about all summer: what artificial intelligence is doing to the entry-level job market for new graduates.

Those three stories belong together. The questions families should be asking this fall are no longer just “Can we get in?” and “Can we afford it?” but “What does this specific program lead to, and how will we know?” I have also included two stories with narrower but urgent audiences: a federal court’s decision to block the rule that would have ended “duration of status” for international students, and the Senate’s rapid movement on the Protect College Sports Act, which would rewrite the rules for recruited athletes.

Seniors: early deadlines are five weeks away. File the FAFSA this fall, finalize your early list, and do not let rankings headlines rewrite a plan built on fit. As always, each story ends with a checklist you can act on this week.

— Dr. Nathan Hurwitz

College Admissions Consultant · Hurwitz Consulting · (203) 613-9262

THIS EDITION’S COVERAGE

01	The 2027-28 FAFSA Is Open — A Week Early Earliest launch ever, instant results, text invites for parents. Why October filing beats spring.
02	MIT Dethrones Princeton as U.S. News Adds “Earnings by Major” The first new No. 1 in fifteen years, and what the methodology change really measures.
03	Census Study: AI-Exposed Majors Are Hitting a Wall at Entry Level A 5-point drop in first jobs and a 13% earnings hit. How to choose a major with eyes open.
04	Court Blocks the End of “Duration of Status” — For Now International students keep their protections while the case proceeds. A second DHS rule targets H-1B families.
05	Senate Fast-Tracks the Protect College Sports Act One free transfer, five-year eligibility, federal NIL rules. What recruited athletes and their parents need to know.

TOPIC 01 FINANCIAL AID

The 2027-28 FAFSA Is Open — A Week Early

The earliest launch in the program’s history gives this year’s seniors a head start on first-come, first-served state and institutional aid.

The U.S. Department of Education opened the 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid on Wednesday, September 23 — the earliest launch in the program’s history for the second year in a row, beating last year’s September 24 record and arriving more than a week ahead of the October 1 date required by the FAFSA Deadline Act. For families who lived through the botched 2024-25 rollout, when the form did not open until December 30, this is a genuine return to predictability.

The form itself has changed in ways that matter. The Department says most families can finish in about 15 minutes. Parents and other contributors can now be invited by text as well as email, eligibility results appear immediately instead of days later, and identity verification for new FSA ID accounts is faster. Students can list up to 20 schools. The Department also says the redesigned form helps applicants see potential earnings outcomes for the schools they list — a theme that runs through this entire edition.

The federal deadline is June 30, 2028, but that date is nearly irrelevant for planning purposes. Many state grant programs and college aid offices award money in the order applications arrive, and several states set deadlines in January or February. This is also the first full cycle in which families are borrowing under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s new limits, including Parent PLUS caps of $20,000 per year and $65,000 lifetime, which makes an early, accurate picture of grant eligibility more valuable than ever.

WHAT’S NEW ON THE 2027-28 FAFSA

Launch date	September 23, 2026 (legal deadline: October 1)
Time to complete	About 15 minutes for most families
Contributor invites	Text message as well as email
Results	Federal eligibility shown in real time
Schools listed	Up to 20
Federal deadline	June 30, 2028 — state and school deadlines are far earlier

DR. HURWITZ’S TAKE

I tell every family the same thing about the FAFSA: timing beats perfection. File in October with your best information and correct it later if needed — the money that runs out first is state and institutional grant aid, not federal loans. Parents of seniors should create their own FSA ID this weekend, because a stalled identity check is the most common reason a 15-minute form turns into a three-week project. And if your student is applying to selective private colleges, check whether each one also requires the CSS Profile, which typically opens October 1. Put both on the calendar before early applications consume October.

PROS

● A predictable, early launch lets seniors see federal eligibility before early-decision deadlines.

● Instant results and text invites remove the two biggest sources of delay for busy parents.

● Earnings information on the form nudges families toward outcome-based comparisons.

CONS

● First-come, first-served state aid still punishes families who wait until spring.

● The FAFSA alone does not unlock aid at many selective private colleges.

● New federal borrowing caps mean the form may reveal a funding gap families must close elsewhere.

✓ ACTION CHECKLIST

✓ Parent and student each create an FSA ID at StudentAid.gov this week.

✓ Look up your state grant deadline and each college’s priority aid deadline.

✓ Confirm which colleges on the list also require the CSS Profile.

✓ Submit the FAFSA in October — before early-application season peaks.

KEY SOURCES

U.S. Department of Education — Earliest FAFSA Launch Announcement

CNBC — FAFSA for 2027-28 Opens Early

NASFAA — FSA Officially Launches 2027-28 FAFSA

Yahoo Finance — What’s New on the 2027-28 FAFSA

✦ ✦ ✦

TOPIC 02 RANKINGS

MIT Dethrones Princeton as U.S. News Adds “Earnings by Major”

The first new No. 1 in fifteen years owes as much to a methodology change as to anything that happened on either campus.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2027 Best Colleges rankings on September 22, and for the first time since the 2012 edition, Princeton is not No. 1 among National Universities. MIT, which had been ranked second for five years, took the top spot with a perfect overall score of 100, followed by Princeton (99) and Harvard (96). Yale placed fourth, with Caltech and Stanford tied for fifth. Williams again led the National Liberal Arts Colleges, with Amherst second.

The change at the top was driven largely by methodology. U.S. News introduced a new “earnings by major” factor that measures graduates’ earnings four years after graduation using the Department of Education’s College Scorecard, and it replaced the median federal loan debt measure that had historically favored Princeton. A U.S. News analyst told The New York Times that Princeton’s underlying data netted out about the same as last year. MIT also topped the Forbes and Niche lists this year, and Princeton remains No. 1 in U.S. News’s separate Best Value ranking.

Two quieter details deserve attention. Participation is slipping: 73% of the nearly 1,500 ranked institutions returned their statistical survey this year, down from 79% last year, although 99 of the top 100 National Universities did report. And a large share of schools changed ranking categories because of the 2025 update to the Carnegie Classification, which means many year-over-year “jumps” and “drops” reflect a school moving to a different list rather than changing in quality.

ELITE SPOTLIGHT: 2027 U.S. NEWS TOP NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES

No. 1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (score: 100)
No. 2	Princeton University (99) — still No. 1 in Best Value
No. 3	Harvard University (96)
No. 4	Yale University
No. 5 (tie)	California Institute of Technology; Stanford University
New factor	Earnings by major, four years after graduation

DR. HURWITZ’S TAKE

Rankings are a snapshot of a formula, and this year the formula changed. Nothing about the undergraduate experience at Princeton or MIT is different from what it was on September 21. What the new metric does do well is push families toward the right question: what do graduates of this specific program earn, not what does the average graduate of this university earn? Use the College Scorecard directly to answer that question for your student’s intended major, and treat the ranking number itself as the least important figure on the page.

PROS

● An earnings-by-major factor is far more useful to families than institution-wide averages.

● The shift reflects what families actually care about: return on investment.

● Multiple lists now agree at the top, reducing noise for applicants.

CONS

● Four-year earnings favor engineering-heavy schools and undervalue slower-starting fields.

● Falling survey participation makes year-to-year comparisons less reliable.

● Category shifts from the Carnegie update create misleading “movement” headlines.

✓ ACTION CHECKLIST

✓ Look up earnings for your student’s intended major at each college on the College Scorecard.

✓ Check whether a school on your list changed ranking categories before reading its “move.”

✓ Compare net price, not sticker price, alongside any ranking.

✓ Keep the early-application decision anchored to fit, not this week’s headline.

KEY SOURCES

U.S. News Press Room — MIT Claims No. 1 Spot

U.S. News — The 2027 Best Colleges Rankings Are Out

Princeton Alumni Weekly — MIT Unseats Princeton

The Boston Globe — MIT Bumps Princeton

✦ ✦ ✦

TOPIC 03 MAJORS & CAREERS

Census Study: AI-Exposed Majors Are Hitting a Wall at Entry Level

New federal data show the first measurable gap in jobs and pay for graduates whose fields are most exposed to artificial intelligence.

A U.S. Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies working paper, which drew wide coverage this fortnight, offers the first large-scale administrative evidence on how artificial intelligence is affecting new college graduates. Using state unemployment-insurance wage records covering more than 95% of jobs in participating states, researchers tracked graduates by major before and after large language models became widely available in late 2022.

The findings are specific. Graduates in the decile of majors most exposed to AI saw their likelihood of initial employment fall by five percentage points and their initial full-quarter earnings fall by 13% relative to graduates in less-exposed fields. Part of the decline came from graduates shifting out of their highest-paying industries into lower-paying sectors such as retail and food service. The authors describe AI not as eliminating jobs across the economy but as raising the bar for young workers seeking a first foothold.

The broader market reinforces the point. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that recent-graduate unemployment stayed elevated at about 5.6% through the second quarter of 2026, and the underemployment rate edged up to 42%. That is the environment today’s high school juniors and seniors will graduate into in 2031 or 2032 — and it is exactly why rankings, the FAFSA, and even the Department of Education are now foregrounding earnings outcomes.

BY THE DATA: THE ENTRY-LEVEL SQUEEZE

−5 pts	Initial employment, most AI-exposed decile of majors
−13%	Initial full-quarter earnings, same group
5.6%	Recent-graduate unemployment rate, Q2 2026
42%	Recent-graduate underemployment rate, Q2 2026
Late 2022	Point at which outcomes began to diverge

DR. HURWITZ’S TAKE

This is not a reason to steer a student away from a field they love, and I would be wary of anyone who says it is. It is a reason to ask harder questions about the program, not just the major. Which departments have strong internship pipelines, co-ops, or applied research? Which students graduate with a portfolio of real work rather than a transcript alone? The graduates who will do well are the ones who combine a discipline with demonstrated, hands-on experience, so build that into the college search now, and into the first two years of college later.

PROS

● Hard federal data replace speculation about AI and entry-level jobs.

● Families can plan for the market their student will actually graduate into.

● The findings reward programs with internships, co-ops, and applied learning.

CONS

● Early-career effects may not predict mid-career earnings.

● Exposure measures are blunt and may shift as the technology changes.

● Headlines risk pushing students into majors they have no interest in.

✓ ACTION CHECKLIST

✓ Ask each college about internship and co-op placement rates for your student’s intended major.

✓ Look for programs that require a capstone, portfolio, or applied project.

✓ Review first-destination outcomes reports on each college’s career-services site.

✓ Discuss a complementary minor or skill set that pairs with the intended major.

KEY SOURCES

U.S. Census Bureau — Graduating into Disruption (CES-WP-26-56)

Federal Reserve Bank of New York — Labor Market for Recent College Graduates

The Chronicle of Higher Education — News

STARTING EARLY? THIS IS FOR YOU.

If your student is in ninth or tenth grade, the Census findings above are the best argument for starting early: the students who stand out are the ones who have spent years building real, hands-on experience in a field. My free Parent Starter Kit walks you through what to do in each high school year, from course selection to summer planning.

Get the Free Parent Starter Kit

✦ ✦ ✦

TOPIC 04 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Court Blocks the End of “Duration of Status” — For Now

A nationwide injunction keeps international students’ long-standing protections in place, while a separate DHS proposal targets the grace period for H-1B families.

On September 14, one day before it was set to take effect, U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV in Massachusetts issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Homeland Security rule that would have ended “duration of status” for F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors. The rule, published July 17, would have replaced open-ended admission tied to a student’s program with fixed periods of no more than four years, restricted transfers and changes of major or degree level, and cut the F-1 post-completion grace period from 60 days to 30.

In a 48-page order, the judge found the plaintiffs — a coalition including NAFSA, the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, and several unions — were likely to succeed on claims that DHS violated the Administrative Procedure Act, including by failing to respond adequately to the roughly 22,000 public comments, most of them opposed. For now, students continue to be admitted for duration of status. A status conference is set for October 2, and the government is widely expected to appeal.

A second rule deserves attention from a different set of families. On September 11, DHS proposed eliminating the discretionary 60-day grace period for H-1B, L-1, O-1, E, and TN workers who lose their jobs. If finalized, a worker — and that worker’s spouse and children — would be considered out of status the day after employment ends. Comments are due November 10. Many of the students I work with are the children of H-1B professionals, and this proposal speaks directly to their families’ stability during the application years.

WHERE THE TWO RULES STAND

D/S rule	Blocked nationwide by preliminary injunction (Sept. 14)
Next date	Status conference, October 2
Would have	Capped stays at 4 years; cut F-1 grace period to 30 days
Grace-period NPRM	Proposed Sept. 11 for H-1B, L-1, O-1, E, TN workers
Comment deadline	November 10, 2026

DR. HURWITZ’S TAKE

An injunction is a pause, not a verdict, and families should plan accordingly. International applicants should not panic, but they should favor colleges with strong international student offices, clear graduation timelines, and a record of finishing students in four years. For H-1B families with a U.S.-educated senior, the grace-period proposal is a reason to talk now about what happens to the student’s status if a parent’s job changes mid-application, and to ask each college how dependent-visa changes affect aid and enrollment. When in doubt, a one-hour consultation with an immigration attorney is inexpensive insurance.

PROS

● Students keep duration of status and the 60-day grace period while litigation continues.

● The court’s reasoning suggests the rule has serious procedural weaknesses.

● Colleges have time to prepare guidance before any final outcome.

CONS

● The injunction is temporary and could be reversed on appeal.

● Uncertainty itself may deter international applicants this cycle.

● The grace-period proposal could leave H-1B dependents with little margin after a job loss.

✓ ACTION CHECKLIST

✓ International applicants: review each college’s international student office guidance.

✓ Prioritize programs with strong four-year graduation rates.

✓ H-1B families: discuss a contingency plan for the student’s status during senior year.

✓ Watch for developments after the October 2 status conference.

KEY SOURCES

Inside Higher Ed — Judge Blocks International Student Restrictions

NAFSA — Legal Challenge to the D/S Final Rule

AIP — Court Temporarily Blocks Rule Ending Duration of Status

Federal Register — Eliminating the Discretionary 60-Day Grace Period

✦ ✦ ✦

TOPIC 05 COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Senate Fast-Tracks the Protect College Sports Act

A bipartisan bill would set federal rules for transfers, eligibility, and athlete pay. Recruited athletes and their parents should be reading the fine print now.

The Protect College Sports Act, sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), moved through a series of lopsided procedural votes in the Senate this fortnight, beginning with a 74–24 vote on September 15 and followed by further cloture votes that set up final passage. The bill would then need to pass the House, which has repeatedly failed to pass a different college sports bill.

The bill aims to create a single national rulebook to replace a patchwork of court rulings and state laws. As reported, it would limit athletes to one free transfer over their careers, establish a five-year eligibility window, cap revenue sharing at a percentage of average Power Four athletic revenue, set federal rules for name, image, and likeness agreements and agents, require medical coverage for athletes, and restrict coaches from leaving mid-season. It would also give the NCAA a measure of antitrust protection.

Opposition is real and bipartisan in its own way. The NAACP and the AFL-CIO oppose the bill, and critics argue it would cap athletes’ earning power just as courts have expanded it. Supporters, including coaches’ and athletic directors’ associations, argue that without federal rules, women’s and Olympic sports — where most recruited athletes at selective colleges compete — will continue to be cut as budgets strain.

KEY PROVISIONS FOR RECRUITED ATHLETES

Transfers	One free transfer over a career
Eligibility	Five-year window
Revenue sharing	Capped as a share of average Power Four athletic revenue
NIL & agents	Federal rules for deals and agent conduct
Health	Required medical coverage for athletes

DR. HURWITZ’S TAKE

For most of the families I advise, the headline fights over football revenue are beside the point. The provisions that matter are the transfer limit and the protection of Olympic and women’s sports, because that is where most recruited athletes at selective colleges compete. If this bill becomes law, the one-free-transfer rule makes the initial college choice far more consequential, so choose a school your student would attend even without the sport. Ask every coach directly how the program’s funding and roster size would change under the bill.

PROS

● A single national rulebook would end state-by-state confusion.

● Required medical coverage and agent rules protect athletes and families.

● Supporters argue it would stabilize funding for women’s and Olympic sports.

CONS

● A one-free-transfer limit reduces athletes’ flexibility if a program is a poor fit.

● Critics argue revenue caps limit athletes’ earnings just as courts expanded them.

● Passage in the House remains uncertain.

✓ ACTION CHECKLIST

✓ Recruited athletes: ask coaches how roster sizes and funding would change under the bill.

✓ Choose a college your student would attend without the sport.

✓ Review any NIL agreement with an attorney before signing.

✓ Follow the Senate vote and House action through October.

KEY SOURCES

Senate Commerce Committee — Protect College Sports Act

NBC News — Senate Votes to Move Forward with the Act

Associated Press via Local 10 — College Sports Bill Clears Hurdle

The Daily Texan — Protect College Sports Act Advances

GUIDANCE COUNSELOR CORNER

What to tell your families this fortnight

On the FAFSA: Consider an October FAFSA night for seniors and parents while the form is fresh and families are motivated. The single most useful thing you can do is get parents to create their own FSA IDs before the event, since identity verification is where most submissions stall. Remind families that state grant deadlines are the real deadlines.

On Rankings and Outcomes: Expect a wave of rankings questions this month. The most helpful reframe is to walk families through the College Scorecard’s program-level earnings data, which now sits at the center of both the U.S. News methodology and the FAFSA itself. Students who research outcomes by major make better list decisions than students who chase a number.

On International and H-1B Families: The duration-of-status injunction is temporary. For international applicants and for students whose parents hold H-1B or similar visas, flag the October 2 court date and the November 10 comment deadline on the grace-period proposal, and encourage families to seek qualified immigration advice rather than rely on social media. Forward freely with attribution — this newsletter is written to be shared with the families you serve.

Your Action Guide — Edition 2026-23

Dr. Hurwitz’s Analysis · September 12 – 25, 2026

Create FSA IDs this weekend. Both the student and one parent need their own account at StudentAid.gov. Doing it now prevents the identity-verification delays that stall most applications.

File the FAFSA in October. State and institutional grant money is often awarded first-come, first-served. File with your best information and correct it later if needed.

Check CSS Profile requirements. Many selective private colleges require it in addition to the FAFSA, and it typically opens October 1. Note each school’s priority deadline.

Research earnings by major, not rank. Use the College Scorecard to compare outcomes for your student’s intended program at each college. Treat the ranking number as context, not a verdict.

Ask every college about applied learning. Internships, co-ops, and capstone projects are the best protection against a tighter entry-level market. Put these questions on every campus visit and info session.

Finalize the early list by mid-October. November 1 deadlines arrive fast, and early decision is binding. Confirm each early choice is a school your student would attend happily and that you can afford.

DR. HURWITZ’S BOTTOM LINE

This fall, the tools are better than they have been in years — an early FAFSA, program-level earnings data, and clearer rules on the horizon. The families who benefit will be the ones who use those tools in October rather than reacting to headlines in April. File early, research outcomes by program, and choose colleges your student would thrive at for reasons that will still hold true in four years.

Is your student on track for this admissions cycle?

Book a College Readiness Assessment — a focused 60-minute session ($225) covering your student’s list, early strategy, testing, and financial aid timeline.

Book a College Readiness Assessment

Get the Free Parent Starter Kit

Forwarded this? Subscribe free to Higher Ed Insider

WATCH. READ. FOLLOW.

YOUTUBE

@HurwitzAdmissions

BLOG

hurwitzadmissions.com/blog