How Trump’s second-term agenda has reshaped higher education

The first year of President Trump’s second term marked a turn in the long-standing relationship between the federal government and higher education. Colleges and universities faced an unprecedented pace and scope of federal intervention, including sweeping funding cuts, aggressive civil rights enforcement, immigration actions targeting international students, and efforts to dismantle or fundamentally restructure key federal education agencies.

These actions collectively signaled a shift away from the post–World War II model of federal investment and partnership in higher education toward a more adversarial framework in which federal power was used to compel institutional compliance. While some institutions, particularly those aligned with the administration’s workforce and short-term credential priorities, experienced regulatory relief, the sector as a whole encountered heightened uncertainty, diminished institutional autonomy, and strained trust in federal oversight.

The administration largely fulfilled its campaign promises, especially those tied to culture war issues, and did so with speed and intensity that many higher education leaders did not anticipate. Policies targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion, gender-related issues, research funding priorities, and international students had immediate and lasting effects on campus operations, governance, and public engagement strategies. Institutions responded by rebranding or eliminating programs, increasing legal scrutiny of federal guidance, and reconsidering whether public resistance or strategic silence was the least harmful approach. Looking ahead, higher education is bracing for structural change rather than a temporary disruption (Blake and Weissman, 2026). 

According to data from the Institute of International Education, new international enrollments fell 17 percent in the current academic year, following a 7.2 percent decline the year prior. Many institutions attributed the downturn to visa delays and denials, alongside heightened student concerns about feeling unwelcome in the United States and the broader political climate. While the total number of international students in the U.S. has so far remained relatively stable, experts warn that sustained enrollment declines pose serious risks to the future of U.S. higher education (Luscombe, 2025).