This week’s news in college and money: November 7, 2025

Last week was dominated by RISE-negotiated rulemaking meetings, along with the ongoing college enrollment cycle, and lawsuits… lots of lawsuits. We’ll have more updates on RISE next week, but the big focus has been on the definition of professional student versus graduate student (and that has sparked some debate).

Here’s a quick look at some of the other stories shaping higher education and students’ personal finances on November 7, 2025.

🎓 Top headlines at a glance

• A new student loan class action lawsuit has been filed taking aim at collection and credit reporting practices.
• Mississippi State University reported record enrollment growth.
• Wayland Baptist University Cuts Tuition – Is This the Start of a Trend?
• Penn State announced a massive decline in international student enrollment.

1. Class action lawsuit accuses Department of Education of FCRA violations

new Federal class action lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Georgia (PDF) Accuses the US Department of Education and the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) of intentionally violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The lawsuit, led by borrowers Jamika Bates, Meryl Blazer, Carissa Gillespie, and Tamara Cesar, alleges that the department wrongly reported millions of borrowers as delinquent or in default due to operational malfunctions after loan repayments resumed in 2025. Plaintiffs claim these reports were inaccurate, damaged credit scores, and sparked wage garnishment efforts even as borrowers tried to reach servicers unsuccessfully.

➡️ impact: The complaint portrays the department as using negative credit reports as a collection tool — potentially exposing it to liability and potentially signaling the most comprehensive borrower protection case since the Sweet v. Cardona.

2. Mississippi State University announces record enrollment growth

Mississippi State University Set another scoring record this fallmore than 24,000 students registered and tagged The tenth year of growth in the past eleven. The increase, driven by a 12.6% rise in new first-time students, comes at a time when many regional communities are facing declining enrollment. University leaders credited new degree pathways and student retention programs for these gains.

➡️ impact: Sustained growth underscores how some public universities are working to counter shrinking enrollments nationally through targeted recruitment and affordability strategies.

3. Wayland Baptist University reduces tuition by approximately 10%

Wayland Baptist University Announce A Tuition fees reduced by 9.5% For full-time undergraduates on the Plainview Campus – Annual tuition rate reduced to $19,950 for 12-18 credit hours. Officials said the change aims to reduce student debt and make college “affordable to working families” amid national scrutiny of higher education prices.

➡️ impact: Wayland joins a small but growing number of private universities that are lowering sticker prices rather than increasing discount rates. Observers hope that this will put pressure on their peers to reconsider their education strategies.

4.Pennsylvania and other leading states are seeing declines in international enrollment

in Pennsylvania State UniversityThe enrollment rate of international students has decreased 5.6% on an annual basiscontinuing a multi-year slide attributed to stricter visa policies and global perception of US immigration hurdles. the university Reports that Decline of 11% since 2022echoing similar losses at other major public research institutions.

➡️ impact: International enrollment remains a critical financial pillar for American universities, and a prolonged decline could strain research budgets and increase pressure to recruit domestically.

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