By Katelyn Mora
At its core, the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 promised that college would be within reach for every American. The goal of the legislation is to strengthen the educational resources of colleges and universities while providing financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education [1]. For years, the HEA has served as the legislative backbone for federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, work-study programs, and student loans [2]. These forms of financial aid have been a source of relief for many students who have needed assistance to pay for school. Today, however, that foundation is under attack.
The Trump administration wasted no time in issuing orders to dismantle the Department of Education and its funding for students, undermining the values and mechanisms that define the Higher Education Act (HEA). In a statement from President Trump’s executive order to return power over education to states and local communities, he said, “Education is fundamentally a state responsibility. Instead of filtering resources through layers of federal red tape, we will empower states to take charge and advocate for and implement what is best for students, families, and educators in their communities” [3]. These initiatives constitute an ideological power play that aims to reshape higher education to meet a specific political agenda—one that jeopardizes academic freedom, equity, and access. This cannot be classified as bureaucratic.
The administration’s efforts to undermine college campuses’ diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) programs are among the most recent turning points. Federal funding for public schools that implement diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives has been threatened by the Trump administration [4]. These programs cover a variety of actions, including anti-bias training and hiring procedures, cultural resource centers, and race-based scholarships, to guarantee that students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds have equitable access to success [5]. The administration is insinuating that inclusion is no longer a federal priority by issuing executive orders to strip DEI from higher education. Worse! It suggests that universities should not consider race, gender, or identity as factors worth supporting at all.
This rollback is particularly dangerous given the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions. The effect of removing the DEI infrastructure will be seen in the social, educational, and economic life of the country—DEI initiatives in workplaces and schools, the Rooney rule, which mandates that a minority applicant be taken into account in all NFL coach hiring choices, employment and promotion decisions, and much more [6]. Without DEI, students of color will find themselves in increasingly hostile academic environments with fewer resources and support systems to thrive. Eliminating these programs dismantles the very framework the HEA was designed to uphold: not only to fund higher education but to broaden meaningful participation for all students.
The Trump administration notably targeted Harvard University’s financial aid program because it refused to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The school then came under pressure to change its admissions process or risk losing federal funding that has provided billions of dollars [7]. This wasn’t just a threat to Harvard; it was a threat to all universities. This coercive tactic weaponizes HEA-related grant funding to compel institutions into political obedience, disregarding constitutional protections for academic freedom. If federal education dollars are now subject to partisan loyalty tests, the entire infrastructure of higher education autonomy is at risk.
Beyond cultural issues, the administration has continued to undermine the financial protections students depend on. A federal court recently blocked the Biden-era SAVE plan, a more generous income-driven repayment system that helped borrowers, especially married individuals, keep their monthly loan payments manageable [8]. Now, spousal incomes are again factored in, resulting in ballooning monthly bills for families struggling to afford housing, childcare, and basic necessities. The administration’s failure to defend the SAVE plan makes clear where its priorities lie: students are not among them.
Let me be clear: universities are not “bastions of antisemitism and ideological indoctrination” [9]. Nor are they battlegrounds for a broader ideological war. The real casualties of this political warfare are not college presidents or political candidates; they are first-generation students, single parents, veterans, and working-class human beings who rely on the HEA to build and transform their futures.
The Higher Education Act (HEA) is under attack by the current Trump administration, and we must defend current students and future ones to preserve access, equity, and academic freedom in American higher education. The path forward must include protecting the HEA’s founding principles: access, fairness, and public investment in education as a common good. Congress must move toward fully reauthorizing the HEA that expands Pell Grants, protects borrower rights, and embeds equity, rather than erasing it [10]. Universities, meanwhile, must resist political overreach and reaffirm their commitment to inclusivity.
The Higher Education Act is more than legislation; it’s a reflection of who we believe deserves a chance at pursuing the dream of higher education. We cannot allow those who think college should be reserved for the privileged few to build counter legislation around that dream. As college students, we are not just the recipients of the Higher Education Act (HEA); we are its living legacy and its most powerful defenders. What happens to this law will shape our opportunities and our future. We have to fight for a future even if it may seem, at the moment, that it is slipping out of our hands.
Works Cited
1. “Higher Education Act.” n.d. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Accessed April 14, 2025. https://www.aacrao.org/advocacy/issues/higher-education-act.
2. “Types of Financial Aid: Grants, Work-Study, and Loans.” n.d. Federal Student Aid. Accessed April 14, 2025. https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types.
3. Trump, President. 2025. “Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order to Return Power Over Education to States and Local Communities.” Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/statement-president-trumps-executive-order-return-power-over-education-states-and-local-communities.
4. Mehta, Jonaki. 2025. “Trump administration warns K-12 schools over DEI.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/04/03/nx-s1-5350978/trump-administration-warns-schools-abo ut-dei-programs.
5. Knox, Liam. 2025. “Trump admin threatens to rescind federal funds over DEI.” Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/diversity/race-ethnicity/2025/02/15/trump-admin-threatens-rescind-federal-funds-over-dei.
6. Totenberg, Nina. 2023. “Supreme Court reverses affirmative action, gutting race-conscious admissions.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/29/1181138066/affirmative-action-supreme-court-decision.
7. Charalambous, Peter. 2025. “Trump admin freezes billions in funding to Harvard University after rejecting demands.” ABC. https://abcnews.go.com/US/harvard-university-rejects-trump-administrations-demands-risking-billions/story?id=120799115
8. Ziv, Shahar. 2025. “SAVE Plan Blocked, But Education Department To Reopen Older Student Loan Plans.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaharziv/2025/03/26/save-plan-blocked-but-education-dep artment-to-reopen-older-student-loan-plans/.
9. Blinder, Alan. 2025. “Trump Has Targeted Universities Like Harvard, Cornell, Columbia. Why?” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-university-college.html.
10. AccessLex. n.d. “Policy Recommendations: Higher Education Act.” AccessLex. https://www.accesslex.org/tools-and-resources/policy-recommendations-higher-education-act.
Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/college-students-studying-inside-a-classroom-8199165/.
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