What's Keeping Presidents Up at Night in 2026

"Presidents (N=430) rate financial volatility (45 percent) and political interference (43 percent) as the fastest-growing risks to their institutions from a long list of pressures, with private nonprofit leaders especially concerned about finances. Public institution presidents are more worried about political interference: 71 percent of public doctoral university presidents, in particular, cite this as an accelerating risk."

"Most report that the second Trump administration's impact on higher education is exceeding their already low expectations. In last year's survey, 51 percent predicted negative impacts on the regulatory environment for higher education, but 81 percent describe actual negative impacts in 2026."

"Looking ahead to 2030, presidents tend to predict that artificial intelligence (48 percent) and cost pressures (45 percent)-not state and federal policy changes (27 percent)-will have the greatest impact on higher education. Yet even as presidents recognize the significance of AI and elsewhere in the survey report increased enterprise-level adoption and strategizing, just 1 percent say that higher education has been a highly effective voice in important national conversations about the future of this technology."

College and university presidents identify financial volatility and political interference as the fastest-growing risks to their institutions. Private nonprofit leaders prioritize financial concerns while public institution presidents worry more about political interference, particularly at doctoral universities. The Trump administration's regulatory approach has negatively impacted higher education more severely than presidents anticipated, with 81 percent reporting negative impacts compared to 51 percent who predicted such outcomes previously. Looking forward to 2030, presidents expect artificial intelligence and cost pressures to be more consequential than policy changes. However, despite increased AI adoption at the enterprise level, only 1 percent of presidents believe higher education has effectively contributed to national conversations about technology's future. Institutions are simultaneously pursuing workforce-aligned educational models.

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