Looking Back at 2024 in Higher Ed

Inside Higher Ed

Katherine Knott and Jessica Blake

December 17, 2024

For much of 2024, higher education seemed to lurch from one crisis to another.

The year kicked off with the botched launch of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and the disruptions didn’t let up as leaders grappled with increased scrutiny from Washington, D.C., and rising tensions on campus that escalated to encampments and student and faculty arrests.

Meanwhile, colleges faced intensifying financial pressures, cutting programs and staff to stay afloat. Throughout much of the year, a fired University of Wisconsin chancellor fought to keep his job in what became a closely watched test of academic freedom. The presidential election and the implications for higher education as well as a growing conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion programs loomed over the year.

But, despite questions about the value of higher education, this year state higher education leaders said colleges are key to growing the workforce while analysts argued that public concerns about higher education are multifaceted and nuanced. A survey of colleges also showed that state aid kept tuition from outpacing inflation, and in some states lawmakers have made big investments in community colleges.

Here’s a look back at higher education in 2024, month by month.

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