College Admissions News: What Students Need to Know Now

Why This Week's News Matters for Applicants

The higher education landscape is shifting fast — and not just at the margins. From federal investigations into medical school admissions to new data on how students are (or aren't) disclosing their race on applications, the decisions being made in Washington and on campuses right now will shape what the college process looks like for you. Here's what's happening and what you actually need to do about it.

Race on Applications: A Confusing New Normal

Two admissions cycles after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action, a notable pattern has emerged: a surge in students who simply decline to report their race on college applications. Researcher James Murphy is working to understand who those students are and why they're opting out — and the picture is more complicated than you might expect, according to a new report covered by Inside Higher Ed.

The reasons students skip the race question vary widely. Some may be uncertain how the information will be used post-SFFA. Others may belong to multiracial families with complicated relationships to any single category. Still others may be following advice — good or bad — from counselors or parents.

What's clear: colleges are now assembling classes with less demographic data than before, which makes it harder for institutions to track diversity and harder for researchers to measure the real-world impact of the 2023 ruling. If you're a current junior or senior wondering whether to answer demographic questions on your applications, talk to a counselor who knows the specific policies of your target schools. Skipping a question isn't automatically strategic — context matters enormously.

The DOJ Turns Its Attention to Medical Schools

The Department of Justice has opened investigations into 15 additional medical schools, alleging that they are admitting students on the basis of race in violation of civil rights law — per Inside Higher Ed. The DOJ has not yet publicly named the institutions under scrutiny.

Critics argue the administration is misreading the law and that diversity-focused admissions practices don't constitute illegal race-based selection. That legal debate will play out over months or years. But the practical effect is already visible: pre-med students and advisors are watching closely, and some schools may preemptively adjust their processes before any ruling.

For high schoolers with medical school ambitions, this is a long-horizon issue — most of you are still years away from an MD application. Still, the broader pattern matters: federal scrutiny of admissions practices is expanding beyond undergraduate programs, and the legal environment around holistic review continues to evolve.

First-Gen Students: Where the Support Gaps Are

A new Community College Research Center study finds that first-generation college students lean heavily on family, peers, and campus staff for support — but significant gaps in formal advising and resource access persist, reports Inside Higher Ed.

The finding cuts two ways. On one hand, first-gen students are resourceful and build real networks. On the other, they're often navigating without the institutional knowledge that continuing-generation students absorb almost by osmosis — things like how to read a financial aid award letter, when to talk to a professor during office hours, or how to find scholarships beyond the FAFSA.

If you're a first-gen student in 9th–11th grade, now is the time to start building that knowledge base deliberately. Our guide for freshmen and juniors breaks down the timeline so nothing sneaks up on you.

What This Means for Your Application

These stories aren't abstract policy debates — each one has a direct line to decisions you'll make in the next 12 months.

On race and demographic questions: Don't skip fields on the Common App or Coalition App without understanding what you're opting out of. Some schools use demographic data only for reporting; others factor it into context-sensitive review. Ask your counselor before leaving anything blank.
On DOJ scrutiny and holistic review: Holistic admissions isn't going away, but the criteria schools emphasize may shift. Double down on demonstrating genuine intellectual curiosity and community impact — qualities that hold up under any legal framework.
On first-gen advising gaps: If your high school counselor is overloaded (the national average is roughly 408 students per counselor, according to ASCA data), seek out supplemental resources proactively. College access nonprofits, virtual counseling, and peer networks can fill real gaps.
On PSLF changes: If you're planning to pursue public service careers and rely on loan forgiveness as part of your college financing math, new rules are creating uncertainty for borrowers. Factor that into how you evaluate debt loads at different schools — and talk to a financial aid counselor, not just a college counselor, before committing.

Parents navigating all of this alongside your student: the GoodGoblin parents hub has resources built specifically for you.

Stay Ahead of What's Coming

Admissions policy is moving faster than any single news cycle. The students who handle it best aren't the ones who panic at every headline — they're the ones who understand the landscape well enough to stay focused on what they can control: their story, their grades, and their genuine interests.

Check back here each week for the latest college admissions news, or explore our features to see how GoodGoblin helps you build an application strategy that holds up no matter what changes around it.