Higher Education & The Trump Administration

Executive Actions

​Executive Orders and Actions Impacting Higher Education

ACE Summary (PDF)


**NEW**

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Gender and Title IX

Immigrants and International Students

OMB Funding Freeze

Other

Other Resources

Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions (Just Security)

Executive Order Overview & Tracker (Akin Gump)

Executive Orders: An Introduction (Congressional Research Service, March 29, 2021)

Education Department and Other Agency Guidance

Department of Education

Frequently Asked Questions About Racial Preferences and Stereotypes Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (PDF) (February 28, 2025)

Dear Colleague Letter on the Use of Race in Policies and Programs (PDF) (February 14, 2025)

U.S. Department of Education Probes Cases of Antisemitism at Five Universities (Feruary 3, 2025)

U.S. Department of Education Takes Action to Eliminate DEI (January 23, 2025)

Other Agencies

From Colleges and Universities

Institutional Communications on Federal Funding Updates
Council on Government Relations

ACE Resources

dotEDU, the ACE Policy Podcast

dotEDU Live: What the Department of Education Layoffs Mean for Colleges and Universities

The latest episode of dotEDU Live unpacks the sweeping layoffs at the Department of Education and their implications for colleges and universities. Hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja are joined by ACE President Ted Mitchell to break down the budget battle in Congress, the department’s restructuring, and the ripple effects on financial aid, student services, and institutional oversight. (Aired March 20, 2025)

dotEDU Live: More Policy Shifts, More Uncertainty for Colleges

As colleges and universities face mounting federal scrutiny, dotEDU Live hosts Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer discuss the Education Department’s revised FAQ on DEI policies, newly confirmed Secretary Linda McMahon’s plans for the department, and the Trump administration’s increasing use of federal funding to pressure institutions. (​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Aired March 5, 2025)

dotEDU Live: The Future of Campus Diversity and Student Support

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has issued a sweeping directive declaring that race-conscious student programs, financial aid, and support services violate federal civil rights law—giving colleges just 14 days to comply. ACE President Ted Mitchell joins hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja to discuss the implications for campuses. (​​​​​​​​​​​Aired February 19, 2025)

dotEDU Live: New Orders and New Challenges for Higher Education

In this all-Q&A episode of dotEDU Live, hosts Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer break down the latest policy shifts, legal battles, and administrative chaos facing colleges and universities in the Trump administration’s first weeks. (Aired February 6, 2025)

dotEDU Live: What the Trump Administration’s Funding Freeze Means for Higher Education

The Trump administration’s broad freeze on federal grants sparked confusion across higher ed—until a judge blocked it just before taking effect. In this Jan. 28 episode, Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja break down the fast-moving developments. Later, ACE President Ted Mitchell joins Jon and Sarah to discuss what’s at stake and what’s next for colleges, universities, and students. (Aired January 29, 2025)

dotEDU Live: Navigating Trump’s First Week

Jon Fansmith, Mushtaq Gunja, and Sarah Spreitzer break down the early days of the Trump administration’s second term and its impact on higher education. (Aired January 24, 2025)

From 2024

dotEDU Live: Higher Education’s Path Forward in Trump’s Second Term (Aired December 12, 2024)

dotEDU Live: What Trump’s Win and a New Congress Mean for Higher Education (Aired November 7, 2024)

Issue Briefs

President Trump’s Executive Orders Impacting Higher Education

Immigration-Related Campus Concerns

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Letters

Letter to Department of Education Office of Civil Rights on DEI Dear Colleague Letter (PDF) (February 25, 2025)

Letter to New Members of the 119th Congress (PDF) (January 15, 2025)

ACE Policy Recommendations to 2024 Presidential Candidates (PDF) (October 15, 2024)

Blog Posts & Campaign News

Dear President-elect Trump: Higher Education Builds America | By Ted Mitchell (January 6, 2025)

ACE Calls for Policy Focus on Higher Education in Presidential Campaigns (September 16, 2024)

Statements 

 
 
 

Other News

Trump Is Changing the Department of Education. How Is It Affecting Borrowers?
NPR | March 27, 2025

What We Know About the Detentions of Student Protesters
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 27, 2025

Higher Ed Leaders Fear International Students Will Stop Coming Amid Detainments and Research Cuts
The Boston Globe (sub. req.) | March 27, 2025

Exclusive: Trump’s “Pro-Hamas” Purge Could Block Foreign Students From Colleges
Axios | March 27, 2025

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Cancel Grants to Teachers
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 26, 2025

AAUP, Middle East Studies Association Sue Trump Over Deportations
Inside Higher Ed | March 26, 2025

Teachers Unions Sue Trump Administration Over Push to Shut Education Dept.
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 24, 2025

Trump’s Plan to Move Student Loans to SBA Raises Concerns
Inside Higher Ed | March 21, 2025

‘We’re Going to Shut It Down’
Inside Higher Ed | March 19, 2025

Trump’s Battles With Colleges Could Change American Culture for a Generation
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 20, 2025

Teachers Union Sues Education Department for Halting Student Loan Repayment Plans
Reuters | March 19, 2025

Judge Orders Education Dept. to Restore Some Grants to Schools
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 18, 2025

‘Palpable Fear’ Hangs Over International Students
Inside Higher Ed | March 18, 2025

Appeals Court Lets Trump’s Diversity Crackdown Proceed
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 14, 2025

OPINION: Here’s why we cannot permit America’s partnership with higher education to weaken or dissolve 
By ACE President Ted Mitchell
The Hechinger Report (March 18, 2025)

‘Palpable Fear’ Hangs Over International Students
Inside Higher Ed | March 18, 2025

‘Colossally Wasteful’: Trump’s Cuts Imperil Medical Research at Columbia
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 18, 2025

Legal Experts Question Trump’s Authority to Cancel Columbia’s Funding
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 17, 2025

Waste, Fraud and Abuse May Increase at Schools After Trump Cuts
USA Today | March 16, 2025

Appeals Court Lets Trump’s Diversity Crackdown Proceed
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 14, 2025

Education Dept. Layoffs by the Numbers: Which Staff Were Ousted, Where Cuts Hit Hardest
USA Today | March 13, 2025

More Than 50 Universities Face Federal Investigations as Part of Trump’s Anti-DEI Campaign
The Associated Press | March 14, 2025

USDA Reverses Decision To Pause Funding to UMaine System
Portland Press Herald (sub. req.) | March 12, 2025

Democratic Attorneys General Sue Over Gutting of Education Department
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 13, 2025

Education Dept. Cuts Are Here. What Happens Now to Student Loans, FAFSA and IEPs?
USA Today | March 13, 2025

Assessing the Damage After the Education Department’s Mass Layoffs
Inside Higher Ed | March 13, 2025

Education Department Lays Off Nearly Half of Staff
Inside Higher Ed | March 11, 2025

U.S. Judge Temporarily Halts Trump Plan To Cut Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Teacher Training
The Associated Press | March 11, 2025

Contract Cuts at Columbia Raise Concerns
Inside Higher Ed | March 7, 2025

California Sues Trump Administration for Cutting Teacher Training Over ‘Illegal DEI’
Los Angeles Times (sub. req.) | March 7, 2025

‘People Are Going Silent’: Fearing Retribution, Trump Critics Muzzle Themselves
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 6, 2025

As Trump Goes After Universities, Students Are Now on the Chopping Block
The New York Times (sub. req.) | March 6, 2025

Federal Judge Blocks Drastic Funding Cuts to Medical Research
The Associated Press | March 5, 2025

Education Dept. Softens Controversial Guidance on Race and Schools
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | March 1, 2025

As Trump’s Deadline To Eliminate DEI Nears, Few Schools Openly Rush To Make Changes
The Associated Press | Feb. 27, 2025

DOGE Said It Cut $881 Million at the Education Department. The Real Savings Are Much Less.
USA Today | Feb. 26, 2025

OPINION: The Department of Education Threatens to Pull the Plug on Colleges
The New York Times (sub. req.) | Feb. 26, 2025

Teachers Union Files Lawsuit Over Trump’s Crackdown on Race, DEI in Schools
The Washington Post (sub. req.) | Feb. 25, 2025

Injunction Blocking Parts of Trump’s Anti-DEI Orders Doesn’t Affect DEI Guidance
Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 25, 2025

‘Shortsighted’ and ‘Dangerous’: Colleges Warn of Budget Cuts After NIH Slashes Medical Research Funding
Inside Higher Ed | Feb. 8, 2025