Trump's higher ed shakeup starts a new semester
Students are returning to campus as the Trump administration continues to reshape American academia. The big picture: The administration has leveraged federal education funding and threatened litigation against universities deemed misaligned with policy priorities — moves critics say subject academia to political whims. State of play: The all-of-government squeeze on higher education continues a…
As students resume their studies, the Trump administration persists in transforming American higher education. The government is utilizing educational funding and has threatened legal action against universities that do not fit its policy agenda, critics argue that this leaves academic institutions at the mercy of political considerations.
The ongoing pressure from the entire government marks a 19-month campaign that has targeted international cooperation, threatened research funding, initiated litigation, and even contemplated accreditation reforms.
In January 2025, according to Stuart Shapiro, dean of Rutgers School of Planning and Public Policy, who once served in the Office of Management and Budget, the government-academic relationship, which emerged after World War II, has never experienced such a major upheaval since then. The uncertainty created by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) could discourage graduate students and researchers from pursuing breakthroughs in disease cures, said Russ Paulsen, president of Research!America.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon required 30 institutions to examine their foreign collaborations by August 31 to retain federal research funding, citing national security concerns. The OMB proposal also limits certain international collaborations. The administration is further altering visa rules for international students, starting September 15, which would limit their stay to four years instead of the previous indefinite period. This rule change has already sparked a legal challenge.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has intensified investigations against states and universities concerning admission practices, financial aid for undocumented immigrants, and medical school admissions, including allegations of racial discrimination at UCLA, Yale, and U.C. San Diego. The Education Department also launched probes into five medical schools for alleged racial bias in admissions.
The administration has also targeted college accreditation, most recently threatening the American Bar Association's authority to accredit law schools, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The Education Department proposed a new framework intended to break up entrenched accreditation monopolies and accelerate the review of new accreditors, emphasizing that accrediting agencies must foster intellectual diversity and the free exchange of ideas among faculty.
Democrats are planning investigations into companies and colleges that cooperated with the Trump administration.
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