Higher Education Litigation Summary: February 2026

Thompson Coburn 

Tres Cleveland , Brandt Hill , Lorrie Hargrove , Evan Moltz , Anna S. Knouse , Alexander G. Spanos , Karolyn E. Eilertsen

February 18, 2026

Welcome to the February 2026 edition of Thompson Coburn’s Higher Education Litigation Summary, your resource for timely legal updates on key rulings and ongoing cases shaping the higher education sector. Bold text indicates updates to the rulings.

Highlights in this edition include:

The status of the 2022 Borrower Defense to Repayment Rule where the court reinstated the Fifth Circuit’s preliminary injunction and instructed the plaintiff to file a proposed First Amended Complaint;

Resolutions in Dear Colleague Letter litigation;

Recent activity in two cases challenging changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; and

An overview of the implications that the Texas v. Becerra litigation may have for institutions of higher education.

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