Education

Today’s education institutions are driven by innovation and global expansion, but with that growth comes increasingly complex legal and regulatory challenges. Our team helps education clients navigate evolving regulatory frameworks, respond to heightened government scrutiny and litigation risks, and execute strategic transactions with confidence.

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Education

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We are a multidisciplinary, global team with deep insight into emerging legal developments in the education sector. We can help you anticipate change and identify strategic solutions to advance your goals and objectives. Our experience spans the full range of education institutions and organizations, including research universities, state universities, community colleges, private institutions, international universities, research institutes, leading sector associations, and foundations.

From regulatory compliance and transactional negotiations to intellectual property protection and dispute resolution, we provide education clients with comprehensive counsel grounded in decades of experience. We regularly advise on legal and regulatory issues related to international operations and often represent clients in government-led regulatory investigations.

Our exceptional breadth of global experience means we have a truly holistic view across the entire sector. Our coverage spans Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America, including specific countries such as China, Denmark, India, Iran, Japan, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Qatar.

Accreditation and State Licensure

Distance Education

Domestic & International Sponsored Research

Governance

Labor and Employment Matters in Education Institutions

Tax Exempt

Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation

Civil Rights Compliance

Government Investigations

International Programs

Student Financial Aid

In the United States (U.S.), federal and state agencies and accreditors set and enforce standards of academic quality and consumer protection. Agencies in other countries impose their own accreditation and education licensure requirements on higher education institutions. We advise colleges and universities on compliance with these requirements. We serve as education regulatory counsel in change of control and other transactions. We assist higher education institutions with requests for substantive changes, including new programs and additional locations. And we represent higher education institutions before accreditors, including responding to complaints and compliance reviews; probation, show-cause, and termination proceedings; and developing teach-out plans and agreements.

Higher education institutions are increasingly crossing state and international borders via distance education. Distance education initiatives implicate a range of regulatory obligations, including accreditation, state authorization, and federal student financial aid administration. Contracts with service providers require commercial and regulatory terms. We help clients navigate the legal and regulatory framework for distance education, ensuring that they achieve their goals. We advise clients on compliance with federal and state laws and accreditation standards for distance education. We work with relevant government agencies and accreditors to obtain necessary guidance and timely regulatory and other approvals. We negotiate agreements with third-party "enablers" to assist institutions in launching and delivering distance education programs.

The academic research industry is becoming ever more complex with stringent government enforcement and the globalized nature of projects.

We stay ahead of the evolving compliance landscape. We routinely advise on cost accounting and administration of grants and cooperative agreements, audits and investigations of grant funds, research misconduct, human subjects and animal research, and innovative intellectual property and technology transfer projects. We have advised on research and humanitarian activities in more than 50 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Higher education institutions must comply with ever-changing regulatory requirements and adapt to evolving norms of governance. We have extensive experience in advising universities, colleges, academic medical centers, research organizations, and other education groups on all aspects of institutional governance.

We focus on the quickly evolving employment law landscape, so that you can make the appropriate strategic judgments and employment decisions in developing policies for your faculty and staff. We guide our education clients through the maze of challenges, including equal employment opportunities, wage and working hours laws, leave and benefits, terminations and discipline, labor unions, executive contracts, and personnel policies.

Tax exemptions create opportunities, but also responsibilities and additional challenges. Understanding the nuances of your institution’s status is vital. Our tax team can guide you through these challenges, from the formation and operation of nonprofit tax-exempt entities to handling complex tax-exemption applications, and dealing with tax authorities on audit and controversy matters. We handle the tax-exempt considerations of restructurings, mergers, joint ventures, investments, and activities involving unrelated business income tax. We advise on compliance, compensation matters, intermediate sanctions, and how to expand your programs internationally. We can give you the confidence to understand and handle complex tax issues, so that you can focus on the bigger picture.

Higher education institutions are complex, multi-faceted operations. Often, they face litigation at every level, in diverse jurisdictions involving sensitive issues. As colleges and universities increase their academic and commercial points of contact worldwide, the potential for complex and far-flung disputes will only grow.

Our experienced team of appellate lawyers has the experience you will need to mitigate these risks. We have confronted virtually every type of dispute encountered by colleges, universities, academic medical centers, research institutions, and higher education associations. We represent higher education clients in courts at all trial and appellate levels and in administrative proceedings and government investigations.

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U.S. civil rights laws affect both employees and students in education institutions. The issues that frequently arise from these laws involve both the U.S. and possibly international operations. Our clients rely on our deep experience to help navigate matters involving non-discrimination compliance, gender-related athletics requirements, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, transgender policies, accommodation of disabilities, affirmative action, free speech, and free exercise of religion.

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Education institutions are subject to a broad array of rules, regulations, and requirements covering every aspect of their mission. Oversight has become increasingly aggressive, and the stakes are high. We bring decades of experience in dealing with investigations, whether they are government-initiated, in response to whistleblower complaints, or because of internal compliance reports of improper activities.

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The modern university is a global enterprise. So is our education team. We reach across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas to guide institutions through international teaching, research, and humanitarian projects, and many other transnational initiatives.

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Participation in federal student financial aid programs, under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, is essential to most U.S. higher education institutions and their ability to increase access and serve students. Even schools outside of the U.S. are not exempt and must comply with strict regulation to participate in Title IV loan programs for their U.S. students. We help education institutions establish eligibility to participate in Title IV programs, understand requirements, and comply with the rules sustainably.

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Our capabilities at a glance

100

More than 100 higher education institutions turn to us for legal counsel.

120

More than 120 of our lawyers focus their practices on education matters.

We have served education sector clients for over 40 years.

Hear from our clients and industry leaders

Hogan Lovells is the premier higher education firm in the world. When we have a potentially transformational opportunity, Hogan Lovells are who I turn to.

Chambers USA, 2025

Very strong knowledge of federal and state educational regulatory rules and related agency procedures. Often the go-to firm for complex, novel transactions and structures. Also, very strong presence internationally.

Legal 500 United States, 2025

The team has sophisticated attorneys practicing in the higher education department, who can tap the expertise of their colleagues in other practices (tax, non-profits) and in offices throughout the world to assist in international higher education matters.

Legal 500 United States, 2025

Key contacts

Stephanie J. Gold

Partner

Stephanie J. Gold

Partner

Washington, D.C.

William F. Ferreira

Partner

William F. Ferreira

Partner

Washington, D.C.

Meet the Education team

Representative experience

Advised several universities on the establishment and operation of comprehensive degree-granting campuses abroad, including in China and the Middle East.

Advised a Middle East institution on governance, transactional, regulatory, and intellectual property issues.

Advised on the establishment of sites in Africa and Asia for university sponsored projects involving clinical programs, collaborative research, and humanitarian assistance.

Advised universities on, and negotiated agreements related to, international education initiatives such as study abroad centers, student exchange programs, and dual and joint degree programs.

Defended a university against claims by a donor’s heirs that the institution misused the donor’s gift.

Defended a leading research institution in a False Claims Act (FCA) matter involving more than US$1bn in federal grants from several agencies.

Advised an education institution on consumer protection related investigations by an attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission.

Represented a nonprofit university in a FCA lawsuit against it and its distance education service provider, alleging violation of the Higher Education Act incentive payment rule.

Advised many leading universities on board, faculty, administrative staff, and student governance practices and policies.

Served as transaction and education regulatory counsel in an affiliation between a nonprofit university and a nonprofit health professions school for a pathway program and other initiatives.

Serviced as transaction and education regulatory counsel for the buyer of a health professions school.

Served as education regulatory counsel in an affiliation between, and subsequent merger of, two nonprofit higher education institutions.

Advised the mandated lead arrangers on the US$360m take-private, by a global private equity firm, of a British company with schools throughout Asia.

Advised colleges and universities on negotiations and contracts with third parties providing support services for distance education programs.

Advised numerous institutions on responses to adverse accreditation actions.

Advised non-U.S. institutions on compliance with U.S. federal student financial aid requirements.

Represented higher education institutions and associations in proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) concerning its jurisdiction over religious-affiliated institutions.

Education regulatory counsel to the target in an acquisition of an education company that provides alternative programs for students with behavioral, emotional, and academic needs.