Trump Targets College Accreditation With New Executive Order On Federal Aid
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the college accreditation process, aiming to tighten federal oversight of institutions receiving student aid like loans and Pell grants.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that targets the college accreditation process, which colleges must go through to receive federal financial aid. This is his latest move to gain control over America’s higher education institutions.
According to a CNN report, the directive focuses on the federal government's procedures for determining which colleges and universities are eligible to receive billions in federal student loans and Pell grants, a major source of indirect funding for many institutions.
US accreditors play a key role in determining which universities are allowed to access billions of dollars in federal funding each year. According to the BBC, Trump and his allies have alleged that accrediting organisations operate like a cartel, suppressing academic diversity. The accreditor groups, however, have rejected these claims, insisting they do not promote any political agenda on college campuses.
Dubbed by Trump as his "secret weapon" during his campaign, the accreditation order is part of a broader push by the president to overhaul US universities, which he claims have been heavily influenced by left-leaning ideologies.
The executive order asks the secretary of education to “hold higher education accreditors accountable, including through denial, monitoring, suspension, or termination for poor performance or violations to the federal Civil Rights Act,” a White House official told CNN ahead of the signing.
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It also “directs the attorney general and the secretary of education to investigate and terminate unlawful discrimination by American higher education institutions, including law schools and medical schools,” the official said.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon highlighted the concept of universities functioning as a “meritocracy,” a recurring theme from the White House as it continues to challenge diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in both education and the workplace.
This action is part of Trump's broader campaign to overhaul higher education. He has cut funding to prestigious institutions like Columbia and Harvard, called for reforms to their academic curricula, accused university officials of allowing antisemitism, and pushed for the deportation of international students critical of Israel's actions in Gaza.
Additionally, he has initiated steps to dismantle the US Department of Education.
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