Higher Education & The Trump Administration

President Trump’s return to office has ushered in significant changes to federal policy affecting colleges and universities.

From proposals to dismantle the Department of Education to efforts to roll back diversity and civil rights protections, the administration is pursuing a broad restructuring of higher education’s policy landscape—undermining research, curbing global engagement, and threatening the sector’s public funding foundation.

This page organizes key actions under the Trump administration by topic area. Each section highlights executive orders, agency guidance, and ACE responses to help institutions track developments, assess risk, and prepare for continued disruption.

Executive Orders and Actions Impacting Higher Education

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Executive Order Overview & Tracker (Akin Gump)

OverviewTracker

Federal Funding and Government Restructuring

The administration is moving to fundamentally reshape the role of the federal government in higher education. Actions include significant staffing reductions at the Department of Education, drastically reducing discretionary funding for research, and freezing grants already supporting critical work. These cuts not only jeopardize institutions' ability to serve students but also threaten innovation in areas like health care, energy, and technology—sectors that rely on federally funded university research to drive economic growth.

Executive Orders and Actions

Federal Register: 2025 Donald J. Trump Executive Orders

Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking | August 7, 2025

Eliminating Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Medicaid | June 6, 2026

Restoring Gold Standard Science | May 23, 2025

Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research | May 5, 2025

Protecting American Energy from State Overreach | April 8, 2025

Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy | March 14, 2025

Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative | February 26, 2025

America First Investment Policy | February 21, 2025

Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative | February 19, 2025

Radical Transparency About Wasteful Spending | February 18, 2025

Implementing The President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative | February 11, 2025

Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation | January 31, 2025

OMB Q&A Document on Federal Funding Freeze | January 28, 2025

OMB Memo to Federal Agencies on Temporary Funding Freeze | January 27, 2025

OMB Instructions for Federal Program Analysis

Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid | January 20, 2025

Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions | January 20, 2025

Regulatory Freeze Pending Review | January 20, 2025

Agency Guidance and Announcements

NSF Policy Notice: Implementation of Standard 15 Percent Indirect Cost Rate | May 2, 2025
National Science Foundation

Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award | April 21, 2025
National Institutes of Health

Updates on NSF Priorities | April 18, 2025
National Science Foundation

Secretary Noem Terminates $2.7 Million in DHS Grants; Orders Harvard to Prove Compliance with Foreign Student Requirements | April 16, 2025
Department of Homeland Security

ED, HHS, and GSA Announce Additional Measures to End Anti-Semitic Harassment on College Campuses | March 3, 2025

Adjusting Department of Energy Grant Policy for Institutions of Higher Education | April 11, 2025
Department of Energy

Guidance on Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans Requested by Implementing The President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative | February 26, 2025
Office of Management and Budget & Office of Personnel Management

Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates | February 7, 2025
National Institutes of Health

NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders (updated regularly) |National Science Foundation

Notice on Implementation of Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid | January 24, 2025
U.S. Agency for International Development

Memorandum to the Heads of Departments and Agencies: Guidance Regarding Section 7 of the Executive Order Unleashing American Energy | January 21, 2025
Office of Management and Budget

Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and Public Communications | January 21, 2025
Department of Health and Human Services

Memorandum for Heads of Departmental Elements: Agency-wide Review of Program and Administrative Activities | January 20, 2025
Department of Energy

ACE Resources

Lawsuits

Higher Education Association Lawsuits Challenge to F&A Reimbursement

News and Resources

Lawsuits Related to the Freeze on Payments for Grants & Contracts & Removal of Information from Government Websites (COGR)

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Department of Education and Civil Rights

TThe Department of Education is central to enforcing civil rights and ensuring access, accountability, and fairness in higher ed. Under the Trump administration, the department is effectively being dismantled, and what remains is being used to weaken oversight, shift accreditation rules, and roll back student protections. These changes undermine equity and make it harder for colleges to fulfill their mission.

Executive Orders and Actions

Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admissions | August 7, 2025

Saving College Sports | July 24, 2025

White House Unveils America’s AI Action Plan | July 23, 2025

Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy | April 23, 2025

Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Futur| April 23, 2025

Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities | April 23, 2025

White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities | April 23, 2025

Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education April 23, 2025

Ordering the shutdown of the Department of Education: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities | March 20, 2025

Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness | March 7, 2025

Keeping Education Accessible and Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools | February 15, 2025

Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism | January 29, 2025

Agency Guidance and Announcements

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Directs National Center for Education Statistics to Collect Universities’ Data on Race Discrimination in Admissions | August 7, 2025

U.S. Department of Education Opens Investigations into Five Universities for Alleged Exclusionary Scholarships Benefitting Illegal Alien Students | July 23, 2025

Federal Student Loan Program Provisions Effective Upon Enactment Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Dear Colleague Letter) (PDF) | July 18, 2025

U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor Implement Workforce Development Partnership | July 15, 2025

U.S. Department of Education Ends Taxpayer Subsidization of Postsecondary Education for Illegal Aliens | July 10, 2025

U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services Notify Harvard University’s Accreditor of Harvard’s Title VI Violation | July 9, 2025

U.S. Department of Education Announces the University of Pennsylvania Has Entered into a Resolution Agreement to Resolve its Title IX Violations | July 1, 2025

Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism Letter to Harvard University | June 30, 2025

Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism Statement on Additional Harvard Actions | May 13, 2025

Request for Institutions to Provide Repayment Information to Former Students to Prevent Defaults | May 5, 2025

Changes to the Approval Process for Changing Accrediting Agencies | May 1, 2025

U.S Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice Announce Title IX Special Investigations Team | April 4, 2025

U.S. Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force | March 11, 2025

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

U.S. Department of Education Cuts Over $600 Million in Divisive Teacher Training Grants |February 17, 2025

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

U.S. Department of Education Cancels Additional $350 Million in Woke Spending | February 13, 2025

U.S. Department of Education Rescinds Biden 11th Hour Guidance on NIL Compensation | February 12, 2025

Dear Colleague Letter on the Enforcement of Title IX Under the Provisions of the 2020 Title IX Rule (PDF) | February 4, 2025

U.S. Department of Education Probes Cases of Antisemitism at Five Universities | February 3, 2025

Justice Department Announces Formation of Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism | February 3, 2025

HHS’ Civil Rights Office Acts Swiftly to Combat Anti-Semitism | February 3, 2025

U.S. Department of Education to Enforce 2020 Title IX Rule Protecting Women | January 31, 2025

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

ACE Resources

ACE News Stories

As Education Department Shrinks, Colleges Face Rising Uncertainty
July 21, 2025

ACE, Other Higher Ed Associations Back Legal Challenge to the Executive Branch’s Efforts to Control Harvard | June 9, 2025

White House Moves to Overhaul Accreditation, Expand Foreign Gift Reporting Requirements | April 25, 2025

ACE President Ted Mitchell: Trump’s Order to Dismantle ED Is “Political Theater” | March 21, 2025

Massive Layoffs at Department of Education Spark Concern Across Higher Education | March 12, 2025

ACE, Higher Education Groups Urge Department of Education to Rescind DEI “Dear Colleague” Letter | February 27, 2025

Senate Questions McMahon on the Future of the Education Department, DEI, and Student Aid in Confirmation Hearing | February 14, 2025

OMB Funding Pause, More EOs Mark Hectic Week for Higher Ed | February 3, 2025

Trump’s Executive Orders Shift Higher Education Landscape | January 27, 2025

dotEDU

The Big Beautiful Bill Has Passed. What’s Next? | July 10, 2025

What the Senate Reconciliation Bill Gets (Mostly) Wrong | June 26, 2025

Pause on Student Visas, Reconciliation in the Senate, and More Pressure on Harvard | June 4, 2025

Associations Speak Out as Reconciliation Targets Higher Ed | May 15, 2025

The Trump Administration’s Pressure Campaign Continues | April 30, 2025

Latest on Dismantling of the ED, International Students, and Budget Issues | April 3, 2025

What the Department of Education Layoffs Mean for Colleges and Universities | March 20, 2025

More Policy Shifts, More Uncertainty for Colleges | March 5, 2025

Statements

Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on President Trump's Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education | March 20, 2025

Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on Sweeping Layoffs at the Department of Education | March 11, 2025

Statement by ACE President Ted Mitchell on the Nomination of Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education | November 20, 2024

Letters

Letter to the Department of Education on FY 2025 Appropriations (PDF) | April 7, 2025

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

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Federal actions targeting DEI programs are part of a broader national effort to roll back progress on racial and gender equity. On campuses, this includes efforts to restrict inclusive hiring practices, curriculum, and student support services, and even threatening to go beyond what the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions decision actually permits. These moves interfere with institutions’ legal discretion and ability to foster their committment to fairness and opportunity.

Executive Orders and Actions

Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admissions | August 7, 2025

White House Unveils America’s AI Action Plan | July 23, 2025

Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy | April 23, 2025

Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government | July 23, 2025

Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity | January 21, 2025

Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferences | January 20, 2025

Recent Executive Actions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Congressional Research Service

Agency Guidance and Announcements

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Directs National Center for Education Statistics to Collect Universities’ Data on Race Discrimination in Admissions | August 7, 2025

Updates on NSF Priorities | April 18, 2025
National Science Foundation

Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award | April 21, 2025
National Institutes of Health

U.S. Department of Education Releases Frequently Asked Questions on Dear Colleague Letter About Racial Preferencing | March 1, 2025
Department of Education

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

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

Rescission of DEI, CBP, and Justice40 Policy Flashes, Acquisition Letters, and Financial Assistance Letters | January 31, 2025
Department of Energy

Memorandum for All DOE Funding Agreements or Awards: Cease all activities associated with DEI and CBP | January 27, 2025
Department of Energy

Initial Guidance Regarding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) Executive Orders | January 23, 2025
NASA

Immediate Implementation of Executive Orders “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” | January 22, 2025
Department of Labor

Initial Guidance Regarding DEIA Executive Orders | January 21, 2025
Office of Personnel Management

Amendment 109: Removing DEIA Requirements from ROSES-2024 | January 20, 2025
NASA

ACE Resources

ACE News Stories

ACE, Higher Education Groups Urge Department of Education to Rescind DEI “Dear Colleague” Letter | February 27, 2025

Federal Judges Block DEI Orders, Extend Pause on NIH Cuts | February 24, 2025

Senate Questions McMahon on the Future of the Education Department, DEI, and Student Aid in Confirmation Hearing | February 14, 2025

OMB Funding Pause, More EOs Mark Hectic Week for Higher Ed | February 3, 2025

Trump’s Executive Orders Shift Higher Education Landscape | January 27, 2025

dotEDU

More Policy Shifts, More Uncertainty for Colleges | March 5, 2025

The Future of Campus Diversity and Student Support | February 19, 2025

Letters

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

Immigration and International Students

Visa cancellations, policy reversals, and increased scrutiny of international students are creating instability across U.S. campuses. These actions not only disrupt educational pathways but also undermine a vital pipeline of global talent that fuels research, innovation, and America’s standing in the world. Higher education remains one of the nation’s strongest diplomatic and economic assets—its global reputation now at risk.

Executive Orders and Actions

Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats | June 4, 2025

Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University | June 4, 2025

Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research | May 5, 2025

Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens | April 28, 2025

Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders | February 19, 2025

Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions | January 20, 2025

Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats | January 20, 2025

Protecting the American People Against Invasion | January 20, 2025

America First Policy Directive to the Secretary of State | January 20, 2025

Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship | January 20, 2025

Agency Guidance and Announcements

Investigation of Harvard University Participation in the Exchange Visitor Program
Department of State | July 23, 2025

The United States Withdraws from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Department of State | July 22, 2025

DHS Sends Administrative Subpoenas to Harvard University
Department of Homeland Security | July 9, 2025

Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants
Department of State | June 18, 2025

Harvard University Loses Student and Exchange Visitor Program Certification for Pro-Terrorist Conduct
Department of Homeland Security | May 22, 2025

Secretary Noem Terminates $2.7 Million in DHS Grants; Orders Harvard to Prove Compliance with Foreign Student Requirements | April 16, 2025
Department of Homeland Security

DHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism | April 9, 2025
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

ACE Resources

ACE News Stories

Trump Travel Ban and Harvard Proclamation Escalate Assault on International Student Access | June 6, 2025

As Trump Administration Escalates Visa Crackdowns, Higher Ed Community Pushes Back | June 2, 2025

ACE, Higher Ed Associations Demand Answers as Student Visa Revocations Spread Nationwide | April 7, 2025

OMB Funding Pause, More EOs Mark Hectic Week for Higher Ed | February 3, 2025

Trump’s Executive Orders Shift Higher Education Landscape | January 27, 2025

dotEDU

Pause on Student Visas, Reconciliation in the Senate, and More Pressure on Harvard | June 4, 2025

Associations Speak Out as Reconciliation Targets Higher Ed | May 15, 2025

The Trump Administration’s Pressure Campaign Continues | April 30, 2025

Harvard Pushes Back, Visa Chaos, and the Fight for Research Funding | April 16, 2025

Latest on Dismantling of the ED, International Students, and Budget Issues | April 3, 2025

Letters

Letter to Secretaries Marco Rubio and Kristi Noem on Visa Revocations and Student Deportations (PDF) | April 4, 2025

Letter to Secretary Marco Rubio on Engagement Between Higher Education and the State Department (PDF) | February 3, 2025

Issue Brief

Gender and Title IX

The Trump administration has taken steps to significantly restrict federal protections related to sex, gender identity, and LGBTQ+ rights in education. An executive order issued in January could reshape how the government enforces not just Title IX but also other civil rights laws, by narrowing the definition of sex and gender. The administration has also rescinded Biden-era guidance expanding protections for transgender students.