February 2026 - Research Updates and News, AI in Higher Ed, Faculty-Development Trends, 2026 Higher Education Trends, and More

February 2026, Eye on Research

Commentary

Spring semesters bring fresh energy. This year, spring also brings continued momentum in conversations about learning mobility that directly intersect with the work many of you are navigating daily.

A recent piece in Inside Higher Ed's Beyond Transfer column reported that nearly 60% of adults who attempted to transfer credit lost some in the process. Sixteen percent abandoned higher education entirely because the process was too difficult. Because of the growing consensus across researchers, practitioners, and advocacy organizations, the field cannot wait for external forces to drive change. Transfer-credit challenges are fundamentally about institutional practices—how we evaluate credits, when we share that information with learners, and whether our processes are designed around institutional convenience or learner success.

These observations align closely with the documentation in AACRAO's White Paper on learner-centered credit mobility, which was released in the summer of 2025. Core barriers to credit mobility are often operational, not technological. Institutions frequently process electronic transcripts manually despite automation capabilities. The process lacks comprehensive articulation rules and struggles with fragmented technology systems that were built over time. These are solvable problems. Solving them has direct, measurable effects on learner outcomes.

This reality is one reason AACRAO continues to benchmark the operational realities of transfer. Earlier in 2026, we deployed a brief survey examining institutional timelines for three critical touchpoints in the transfer journey: the admissions decision, the official credit evaluation, and the degree-applicability assessment. These three touchpoints are the moments that determine whether a prospective transfer learner has the information they need to make informed decisions or whether they're in the dark while navigating one of the most consequential choices of their educational journey. Early results are shared in the AACRAO Research Updates section below.

These operational realities are also at the heart of a national report. The LEARN Commission — co-convened by AACRAO and Sova under the Beyond Transfer initiative and informed by AACRAO's green paper research — has released its final report, Learning Evaluation for the 21st Century: Recommendations to Transform Policy and Practice to Meet Changing Needs. The culmination of more than a year of deliberation by 15 institutional leaders, accreditors, researchers, and policy advocates, the report examines how institutions evaluate prior learning across traditional transfer credit, dual enrollment, credit for prior learning, and AI-assisted evaluation. The report’s 14 concrete recommendations address the same friction points this column has tracked: transparency, timeliness, technology adoption, data use, and staffing. The commission's central call is that institutions should assume learners are prepared for additional education unless evidence suggests otherwise. Among the most actionable recommendations: credit decisions should be based on at least 70% alignment of learning outcomes, preliminary determinations should reach learners before enrollment deadlines, and once a credit equivalency is established, it should apply to all future learners. The report also includes a closer look at faculty engagement in learning evaluation, drawing on qualitative research across nine institutions.

The momentum behind this work is also shaping what's ahead in the field. The Assembly: A Learning Mobility Summit — to be held July 19–21, 2026, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia — is the next evolution of AACRAO's longstanding Technology and Transfer conferences and the cornerstone annual summit of the Learning Mobility Lab community. Born from research and member feedback, The Assembly is designed to be more than a traditional conference. It is a space to spotlight national progress, advance new initiatives, and co-design shared action agendas. Attendees are active collaborators — sharing data, celebrating milestones, and shaping the next generation of interventions. This inaugural year rallies around the AACRAO National Learning Mobility Challenge for Improving Transfer Time-To-Decision, connecting individual institutional efforts to a broader national movement. If you work in admissions, the registrar's office, enrollment management, financial aid, transfer centers, information technology, or any area that shapes student pathways, this is your community and your summit.

As always, I welcome your perspectives on these developments.

AACRAO Research Updates 

Building the Pipeline: Precollege Programs in Higher Education

A report of the results of the December 2025 60-Second Survey on pre-college programs is now available. Based on 161 institutional responses, the report updates our 2018 benchmark while examining current program types, organizational structures, integration with admissions, and program purposes. The report also includes a self-assessment tool for institutions evaluating or considering pre-college programming. Key findings include the following.

• Seventy-seven percent of undergraduate-serving institutions offer pre-college programs; 63% consider them important to the enrollment pipeline.
• While 63% view programs as enrollment tools, 21% report that admissions is not integrated with their pre-college programs. This gap raises questions about strategic alignment.
• Programs serve competing purposes simultaneously. Access (68%), enrollment (47%), and revenue (36%) each show a wide variation in cost, selectivity, and organizational structure.

The full report includes data on funding models, program scale, admissions integration, and comparisons with 2018 findings.

Forthcoming Report: The Transfer Timeline–How Long Are Learners Waiting?

As noted above, AACRAO members were surveyed about the amount of time it takes their institution to complete three critical processes for transfer learners: the admissions decision, the official credit evaluation, and the official degree-applicability assessment. Based on 318 institutional responses, early results reveal notable variation in how long learners wait at each stage.

Data highlights a gap between where institutions are and where they want to be. For example, 41% of institutions complete credit evaluations after the admissions decision, meaning many transfer learners make enrollment decisions without knowing how their credits will apply to their intended program. The full report, expected later this spring, will include detailed timelines and satisfaction data.

Forthcoming Survey: Transcript-Practices Survey

In late March 2026, we will deploy a comprehensive survey on academic-record and transcript practices. Your responses will support the development of a new edition of the AACRAO Academic Record and Transcript Guide as we update the 2019 version. The survey covers official transcript content, transfer-credit recording practices, identity-related record changes, and communication of academic decisions. This guide has long served as a reference for registrars and enrollment professionals. Your participation will ensure the next edition reflects current institutional practices. Watch your inbox for the survey invitation.

Current Higher-Education Research and Related Topics

Higher-Education Marketing Pay: Getting Better, But Not There Yet

Concept3D's 2026 Higher Education Marketing Salary Report (download required) surveyed 228 professionals to benchmark compensation trends, reveal workforce sentiment, and highlight the growing gap between what higher education pays and what the broader market offers. Findings point to modest salary progress alongside persistent retention risks that institutions cannot afford to ignore.

• Median salaries nudged upward to $75,000 in 2025 (from $72,000 in 2024). However, more than 50% of respondents still do not consider higher-ed pay competitive, even though 75% received a pay raise last year.
• Role sprawl is a problem. The typical respondent handles up to five distinct marketing functions; nearly 20% report covering nearly all marketing functions under a single job title.
• Retention is at serious risk. Roughly 74% of respondents have considered leaving higher education entirely; compensation was the dominant reason, by a wide margin.

Higher Education's Revenue Wake-Up Call: Data Is the Missing Piece

A 2025 TouchNet/Higher Ed Dive survey (download required) of 150 North American higher-education leaders finds institutions lean heavily on alternative revenue, such as facility rentals, summer programs, and corporate partnerships, to offset shrinking traditional funding. Most institutions leave money on the table by failing to integrate data systems that would make those efforts strategic.

• 74% of institutions rely significantly on alternative revenue sources. However, only 37% have comprehensive visibility into transaction data across all revenue streams, leaving most schools financially blind.
• Payment friction is costing institutions revenue. Only 39% allow learners to pay with a campus card across services. 37% have fully integrated learner ID systems into their financial platforms.
• The biggest barriers to progress aren't technological, they're human. Limited staff resources (41%) and privacy concerns (39%) top the list, suggesting incremental, tools-you-already-have approaches will outperform costly system overhauls.

The Adjunct-Faculty Problem: Overworked, Overlooked, and Underpaid

A new CUPA-HR report offers one of the most comprehensive looks yet at adjunct faculty in higher education. The study reveals that while adjuncts make up roughly 40% of the faculty workforce, their compensation, job security, and institutional support remain inadequate. The burden falls disproportionately on women and faculty of Color.

• Adjunct pay is extremely low. The median rate is $1,166 per credit hour, meaning an adjunct teaching four courses per semester, year-round would earn roughly $42,000 annually. This is well below the U.S. median income for a full-time worker. Only 37% of institutions offer health benefits.
• Representation is uneven across disciplines and institutions. Adjuncts make up 66% of faculty at associate's institutions but only 33% at doctoral institutions. Adjuncts are clustered heavily in the humanities and the arts while remaining rare in STEM.
• Pay equity is a real concern. Women account for 57% of adjunct faculty, and Black faculty are twice as represented among adjuncts as they are among tenure-track faculty. This points to systemic inequities embedded in how institutions staff their courses.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) as Copilot: Rethinking Doctoral Supervision in the Age of Generative Tools

Through an 18-month collaborative autoethnography between a doctoral student and her supervisor at a South African university, this study examines how generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude AI can meaningfully enhance graduate-research supervision. This holds true, particularly in emotionally complex, interdisciplinary fields, such as sexuality studies, while proposing an updated learning framework that accounts for human-machine collaboration.

• AI tools measurably improved the learner's work when approached with healthy skepticism. This included literature synthesis, methodological design, academic writing, and critical thinking. The learner consistently found AI outputs required expert verification and often reflected Western-centric or oversimplified perspectives.
• The supervisor's role shifted away from information-giver toward ethical facilitator. AI handled routine feedback tasks and freed supervision time for higher-order theoretical and philosophical dialogue. The authors believe this strengthens, rather than weakens, the mentoring relationship.
• Responsible integration hinged on transparency and documentation. The authors maintained detailed AI interaction logs, conducted regular ethical reflections, and grounded their practice in international guidelines. Documentation underscored that AI literacy and academic integrity must go hand-in-hand in graduate education.

The Shift from Computer Science to AI

A new TechCrunch article finds traditional computer-science programs are seeing a dip in enrollment as learners are pivoting toward specialized AI degrees they believe are more relevant in today's job market. The shift shows tech interest is still high, but the academic world is being forced to change its approach to stay relevant to learners.

• AI programs are growing. Standard computer-science enrollment is dropping across major systems, like the University of California. However, dedicated AI programs are seeing a surge in growth.
• Major institutions are rushing to launch AI-specific colleges and departments. Institutions are attempting to meet increased learner demand and catch up with global competitors.
• University administrators are encountering friction with faculty members who are hesitant to embrace these new tools, even as parents and learners push for more AI training.

Faculty-Development Trends in 2026

The 2026 National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD) survey (download required) highlights a situation in which faculty are prioritizing their own growth, even though institutional funding is disappearing. Professional development is no longer an extra but a necessary tool for survival as educators deal with AI and shrinking research budgets.

• Financial support is down. More than 70% of faculty report their institution has trimmed budgets for professional growth.
• Well-being is hitting a low point. Because official university systems are not filling the gap, people are turning to informal groups to find a sense of community.
• Faculty are moving away from traditional workshops. They want practical support, like writing accountability groups and mentoring networks, that offer real connection.

Navigating the 2026 Higher-Education Landscape with 10 Trends

A new article from Insidetrack outlines how higher education is currently navigating a tricky landscape of funding cuts and staffing issues while trying to prove that a degree is still worth the investment. To keep learners enrolled, institutions are shifting toward high-touch support and personalized experiences that address the practical realities of modern life. The main trends identified include the following.

1. New federal rules mean schools must use hard data to show a clear return on investment to secure government and private funding.
2. Because the typical learner is no longer only a traditional high-school graduate, institutions are offering hyper-personalized services, such as success coaching and flexible schedules, to support adult and first-generation learners.
3. Building a genuine sense of belonging is a top priority; 69% of learners say they are more likely to stay in school if they feel they truly matter.
4. Support services are moving beyond the classroom to help learners with basic needs, like food and housing; 59% of learners nationwide currently struggle with basic-needs insecurity.
5. Institutions are trying to fix staff burnout by finding sustainable ways to manage heavy advisor caseloads; only 34% of staff believe their school provides the correct structure for a modern workforce.
6. Routine administrative work is being done by AI, so human staff members have more time for the empathetic, high-touch interactions technology cannot replicate.
7. Getting former learners back into the classroom has become a permanent strategy, as seen in programs that successfully brought over 300 stopped-out learners back to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
8. Online learning is now a basic expectation for most learners. This means institutions must ensure digital learners get the same level of personal connection as learners on campus.
9. Degrees are being tied more directly to specific career outcomes and high-wage jobs to help learners justify the significant financial investment of tuition.
10. Colleges are adopting formal change-management processes to help their faculty and staff remain flexible and resilient during periods of institutional transition.