As you may already know—and have perhaps felt—President Donald Trump’s first year in office during his second term has brought about dramatic shifts in higher education as the White House strives to implement a more conservative vision for the sector.
His administration has launched multi-pronged investigations into institutions’ anti-discrimination policies regarding Jewish students, while also scrutinizing programs that support minority scholarships and admissions. It has also effectively stamped out transgender participation in women’s sports and signaled a broader retreat from DEI initiatives through vague directives and executive orders that sowed uncertainty across higher education.
Four-year universities—some already under significant financial strain—must now contend with further cuts as the National Institutes of Health and other agencies reduce indirect cost reimbursements for research grants. Institutions that have supported research in climate change, critical race theory and other areas associated with liberal ideology saw targeted funding cuts, forcing many to reassess their long-term commitments.
Future international enrollment is in peril as the State Department clamps down on student visa applications, restricts travel and revokes visas of pro-Palestinian protestors.
Lastly, the administration has depleted staffing at the Department of Education while moving some of its most essential services to other departments.
Throughout this dizzying year, here are some of the most popular stories University Business covered on Trump’s agenda and the Department of Education’s dissolution.
For a more comprehensive look at our coverage, make sure to check out these two running articles:
How Trump is impacting higher education in his second term
Administration takes big steps in breaking up the Education Department
Harvard University v. Trump
Harvard University remains in a fierce legal battle with the Trump administration as the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism declared the school in “violent violation” of Jewish students’ civil rights under Title VI.
What’s at stake? All of Harvard’s federal funding.
A letter to President Alan Garber accused Harvard of fostering discrimination comparable to Nazi Germany and failing to address antisemitic harassment. The investigation found Jewish and Israeli students were assaulted, targeted with swastikas and barred from campus spaces during Gaza-related protests.
The task force warned Harvard would lose all federal funding if it did not implement immediate reforms. Trump also sought to block Harvard from enrolling international students, adding further uncertainty. Read more.
Harvard had previously rejected a deal that could have restored $2.2 billion in federal funding.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Harvard’s lawyers wrote in a letter to the administration. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
As of today, Harvard and the administration have yet to settle a deal.
Northwestern University and Columbia University, similarly targeted by the Trump administration, paid $75 million and over $200 million, respectively, to restore federal funding.
Breaking up the Education Department
The Trump administration announced six interagency agreements to dismantle the Department of Education and redistribute programs.
The Department of Labor will oversee K12 and most postsecondary grant programs, including TRIO and GEAR UP, and align them with workforce initiatives.
The Interior Department will manage Indian Education programs, while Health and Human Services takes on foreign medical school accreditation and child care access for student-parents.
The State Department will assume greater responsibility for international education and Fulbright-Hays programs. Officials say the changes will streamline operations without disrupting title formula funding for states. Read more.
Support proves scarce for higher education compact
Seven of nine institutions originally invited to sign Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence rejected the offer.
The compact, eventually extended to all U.S. colleges, offers priority federal funding in exchange for compliance with mandates such as tuition caps, restrictions on international enrollment, and elimination of DEI programs.
Presidents, faculty senates and think tanks across the political spectrum argue that the plan threatens academic freedom and autonomy by tying research funding to non-merit factors. Some critics labeled the effort “extortion” and warned of federal overreach.
Brown University, MIT and Penn were among the schools that rejected the compact. Vanderbilt University opted for dialogue without formal acceptance or rejection. Read more.
DOGE cuts over $1 billion in funding across ED
On Feb. 10, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, terminated 89 Institute of Education Sciences contracts worth $881 million, impacting major research initiatives.
Days later, the Department of Education cut $336 million in Regional Education Laboratory contracts and announced $600 million in grant eliminations for teacher training tied to DEI, social justice, and anti-racism.
Sacred Heart University, for example, lost $3.38 million for diversity-focused teacher recruitment.
Trump’s first-week executive orders set the tone
Trump moved quickly after Inauguration Day to reshape higher education, signing more executive orders on his first day in office than any other president.
Among the orders were:
- Dismantling DEI: Mandated colleges dismantle all DEI programs; authorized federal investigations; and exposed institutions to lawsuits, targeting Ivy League schools with billion-dollar endowments.
- LGBTQ+ student protections erased: Ordered colleges to classify students by sex at birth, rescinded Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and revoked Biden-era gender identity policies.
- Rescinds minority-serving institutions initiatives: Disbanded federal committees supporting HSIs and tribal colleges, and halted programs aimed at advancing educational access and STEM opportunities.
- Ban on campus immigration raids lifted: Allowed law enforcement to operate in “sensitive areas” like colleges and schools, reversing Biden-era protections.
