Trump's Stance on College Education: A Transformation of Higher Education Policy

The Trump administration's approach to college education has been marked by a series of policy shifts and confrontations, significantly altering the landscape of higher education in the United States. These actions, ranging from funding threats to lawsuits, have touched on various aspects of university operations, including diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, and academic freedom.

Influencing Policy Through Funding Threats and Lawsuits

The Trump administration has wielded the power of the federal government to influence policy at universities nationwide, employing tactics such as filing lawsuits and cutting or threatening to limit billions of dollars in funding. These actions targeted a wide range of issues, from DEI and LGBTQ+ interests to immigration policy and even university leadership and the academic curriculum. Agencies across the administration, including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and NASA, participated in these funding freezes.

In March, the Trump administration sent letters to 60 universities, including many of the nation's most elite institutions, warning them of "potential enforcement actions" for violations of Title VI, the federal statute prohibiting discrimination, relating to antisemitic discrimination and harassment. The White House also cut $400 million in funding to Columbia University after demanding changes to policies regarding student protests and discipline and reorganizing the leadership of the school's Middle East studies department. Federal officials warned other universities that they could face similar actions. Columbia University ultimately reached a deal with the Trump administration, paying a $200 million settlement over three years to resolve several federal probes.

Harvard University faced even more severe consequences, with $2.2 billion in grants frozen after the school rejected the administration’s demands to reform its hiring and admissions practices, restructure its governance, and end DEI programs. This led to the withdrawal of all additional federal funding, new civil rights investigations, threats to end the university’s tax-exempt status, and a presidential proclamation banning foreign students from studying at Harvard.

The Trump administration also suspended millions in funding for the University of Maine’s floating offshore wind program due to a dispute over transgender high school athletes competing in girls' sports. Cornell University, Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton University were among other schools that saw billions of dollars cut, frozen, or suspended. The government cited various reasons for these actions, including accusations of tolerating antisemitism and implementing race-based policies in admissions and hiring.

Read also: Impact of Trump on Student Debt

"Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education"

In October, the Trump administration presented nine universities with a proposal called the "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," offering priority access to federal funding in exchange for adhering to a wide-ranging list of demands. These demands included eliminating consideration of race or sex in hiring and admissions and limiting foreign student enrollment. The agreement would also require universities to bar transgender people from using restrooms or playing in sports that align with their gender identities and includes an “institutional neutrality” that would limit what faculty members could say about political or other issues.

Several universities publicly rejected the offer, including MIT, Brown University, and the University of Pennsylvania. MIT President Sally Kornbluth argued that the proposal would restrict the university’s freedom of expression and independence. Brown University President Christina H. Paxson expressed concern that the Compact would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance. The University of Pennsylvania also rejected the proposal, reaffirming its commitment to merit-based achievement and accountability.

Dismantling the Education Department

Republicans have long advocated for the elimination of the Department of Education, viewing it as a symbol of government bloat and federal overreach. In March, Trump signed an executive order directing the Education Secretary to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities." In July, the Supreme Court allowed Trump to proceed with plans to fire approximately 1,200 Education Department workers.

Student Loan Reform

Student loan reform was a key priority for Republicans, particularly in response to President Joe Biden’s moves toward student loan debt forgiveness. Trump signed an executive order to restrict eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, excluding people who work for organizations "that engage in activities that have a substantial illegal purpose." The Education Department also resumed collections on student loans that were in default after a pause during the pandemic.

Trump opposed widespread debt forgiveness, celebrating the Supreme Court's decision to block Biden’s debt relief plan. However, he did take some actions to grant student debt relief, such as directing the ED to remove barriers for veterans with severe disabilities to access debt relief more easily.

Read also: The Impact on Education

Accreditation Reform

Trump proposed a complete overhaul of the college accreditation system, vowing to "fire the radical left accreditors" and replace them with new accreditors tasked with "removing all Marxist diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucrats." This plan faces significant legal and practical challenges, as the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) is the only organization that can strip an accreditor of its power, and current law prohibits the ED from setting standards for accreditation agencies.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Trump administration made concerted efforts to roll back DEI programs, issuing an executive order mandating an end to such programs at universities receiving federal funding. A February memo from the Education Department instructed schools to stop using "racial preferences" in admissions, financial aid, and hiring. The administration also launched investigations into dozens of institutions for their DEI practices.

For-Profit Colleges

Trump's stance on for-profit colleges involved rolling back oversight rules and reinstating recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), the agency that accredited now-defunct institutions like Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute. This approach contrasted sharply with Kamala Harris's record as California's attorney general, where she sued Corinthian Colleges for predatory practices and won a $1.1 billion judgment against the company.

Transgender Athletes

Trump focused on banning transgender people from participating in sports, including at colleges and universities, signing an executive order that declared the federal government recognizes two sexes: male and female. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights launched investigations into several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, over a transgender woman’s participation on the women’s swim team.

Proposed Free Online University

Trump proposed a free, online university program called "The American Academy," promising an open-access program free of "wokeness" and "jihadism." He claimed that the program would be funded by "taxing, fining, and suing" private university endowments and that any credentials awarded would be recognized by the federal government.

A Conservative Playbook for Higher Education

As Trump loyalists planned their return to power, they studied up on the intricacies of bureaucratic combat and recognized that campuses were a key battleground in the culture wars. They developed a playbook centered on the insights that nearly all universities depend on federal money and that research funds could be frozen or cancelled almost instantly, giving the administration a powerful tool to pressure universities.

The Trump administration's assault on higher education has been framed as an existential battle against "woke" culture and ideological bias. Officials have argued that universities are failing in their basic mission and that the so-called woke aspects of campus culture violate federal laws.

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