Which institutions or programs appealed DOE reclassification decisions for 2025–2026?
Executive summary
Multiple kinds of institutions appealed Department of Education (ED) and Department of Energy (DOE) decisions in 2025–2026: universities and higher‑education associations sued or appealed DOE policy changes on indirect‑cost rate caps (AAU, ACE, APLU and nine universities joined a lawsuit) [1]; several research universities and consortia challenged DOE’s 15% indirect‑cost cap in federal court and obtained preliminary injunctions [2] [3] [4]. State high‑school associations and member schools also filed many reclassification appeals for athletic classifications for 2026–28 (GHSA, LHSAA, LHSAA member schools, and dozens of GHSA schools) [5] [6] [7].
1. Universities and higher‑education groups moved to block DOE rate cuts
In spring 2025 a coalition of major higher‑education organizations – the Association of American Universities (AAU), American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of Public and Land‑grant Universities (APLU) – together with nine universities, filed litigation in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts to stop DOE’s new policy setting a standardized 15% indirect cost (F&A) rate for grants to institutions of higher education; that lawsuit and related filings are explicitly documented in university transition materials and news summaries [1] [3] [2].
2. Courts issued injunctions and judges became a focal point of appeals
Federal judges blocked DOE’s 15% cap: a Massachusetts district court granted a preliminary injunction preventing DOE from applying the rate cap nationwide to IHEs [4] [2]. Reporting and legal summaries note NIH/NSF related litigation with similar injunctions and appeals, and that agencies (including DOE and NIH) appealed those court rulings [8] [2].
3. Research universities and consortia framed appeals as preservation of negotiated rates
Briefs and plaintiffs’ arguments in the DOE litigation stressed that negotiated indirect rates for research institutions historically ranged much higher than 15% (some cited up to 62%), and said DOE’s sudden policy deviated from prior agreements and harmed long‑term budgeting and research staffing — arguments captured in Congressional Research Service and higher‑ed coverage [9] [2].
4. Professional‑degree reclassification spurred advocacy, but formal appeals not yet visible in sources
The Education Department’s late‑2025 proposal to redraw what counts as a “professional degree” (potentially excluding nursing, social work, some health professions) produced widespread pushback from professional societies, advocacy groups and medical organizations (NY Academy of Medicine, nursing and behavioral‑health outlets) and media coverage of public outrage [10] [11] [12]. Available sources document statements and sector responses but do not list a formal set of institutions that have filed legal appeals specifically against the ED’s professional‑degree reclassification as of these reports; available sources do not mention a coordinated litigation filing against that rule in 2025 [13] [10].
5. State and regional athletic reclassification appeals were numerous and procedural
Separately, dozens of secondary schools and state athletics bodies pursued administrative appeals of proposed class placements for 2026–2028 competition cycles: the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) received roughly 49 appeals and approved 17 on procedural review [7], and GHSA and other state associations provided formal appeal windows for member schools [5] [14]. Louisiana’s LHSAA likewise scheduled appeals beginning early November 2025 [6].
6. Two distinct categories: administrative appeals vs. federal litigation
The record shows two different appeal types in 2025–2026: (A) administrative appeals within organizations or associations (high‑school reclassification petitions to GHSA, LHSAA, etc.) handled on a tight schedule [5] [6] [14], and (B) federal litigation and appellate filings by major universities and associations targeting DOE policy decisions (particularly the 15% indirect‑cost cap) that produced injunctions and appeals up the courts [1] [2] [8].
7. What the sources don’t show (limitations and open questions)
Sources document lawsuits against DOE over indirect cost policy and many public statements against ED’s professional‑degree proposal, but they do not show a public, consolidated list of institutions that have formally appealed the ED reclassification proposal in court by late 2025; available sources do not mention specific litigation filings challenging the professional‑degree reclassification itself [13] [10]. Nor do the provided items list every university or association involved in each court docket beyond the AAU/ACE/APLU cluster and the nine universities mentioned [1].
Conclusion: The clearest, well‑documented appeals in 2025–2026 were legal challenges by major higher‑education groups and universities to DOE’s 15% indirect‑cost rate policy, which resulted in injunctions and subsequent appeals [1] [2]. Widespread advocacy and sector statements oppose the Education Department’s proposed redefinition of “professional” degrees, but a definitive public roll‑call of institutions that have formally appealed that rule in court is not present in the available reporting [13] [10].