Trump Executive Order Targets DEI in College Accreditation
Credit: Image Credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images- President Donald Trump called U.S. college accreditors his “secret weapon” for altering higher education.
- He recently signed an executive order that would remake the accreditation system.
- Under his order, agencies would no longer be allowed to include diversity, equity, and inclusion in their accreditation standards.
- The Department of Education would likely have to use formal rulemaking to cement this policy.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 23 directing the Department of Education (ED) to remake much of the country’s college accreditation system.
The order directs ED Secretary Linda McMahon to potentially suspend or terminate the recognition of U.S. accreditors that include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) among their accreditation standards. Trump’s order also calls on accreditors to require that institutions support and prioritize “intellectual diversity” among faculty.
It also mandates that accreditation agencies require colleges and universities to use data to improve student outcomes.
“American students and taxpayers deserve better, and my administration will reform our dysfunctional accreditation system so that colleges and universities focus on delivering high-quality academic programs at a reasonable price,” Trump said in the executive order. “Federal recognition will not be provided to accreditors engaging in unlawful discrimination in violation of federal law.”
College accreditors oversee institutions and programs to ensure they have the proper systems to adequately educate students. They give the stamp of approval, and only institutions and programs approved by an ED-recognized accreditor can disburse federal financial aid, which includes federal student loans and Pell Grants, to students.
Trump also ordered the department to resume recognizing new college accreditors. Former President Joe Biden paused recognition of new agencies during his administration, but Trump aims to resume this process “to increase competition and accountability in promoting high-quality, high-value academic programs focused on student outcomes,” according to the order.
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The executive order makes good on Trump’s campaign promises to make sweeping changes to the accreditation system.
In May 2023, he said he would “fire the radical left accreditors.” While his executive order doesn’t go quite that far, it does set the stage for ED to revoke recognition of many accrediting agencies in the near future if they don’t bend to his demands.
The Trump administration may also have to go through a lengthy negotiated rulemaking process, which brings together higher education stakeholders to amend existing regulations, to officially enact these changes.
College Accreditors, Higher Education Trade Groups Respond
Cynthia Jackson Hammond, president of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, said in a statement that accreditors already work with institutions and programs when there is a “shortfall in outcomes.”
She described the relationship between institutions and accreditors as one “of trust and responsible actions.”
“The independence of the accreditation process is essential in order to preserve and protect the integrity of quality assurance in higher education,” Jackson Hammond said.
The Council of Regional Accrediting Commissions urged the administration to advance this directive through the negotiated rulemaking process.
“While we firmly reject President Trump’s mischaracterization of accreditors’ role in the nation’s postsecondary education system,” the council said in a statement, “we stand ready to work with the secretary of education on policies that will advance our shared mission of enhancing quality, innovation, integrity, and accountability.”
Jason Altmire, president and CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing for-profit colleges, celebrated Trump’s executive order.
“We enthusiastically support President Trump and Secretary McMahon’s plan to refocus and modernize America’s education system by streamlining workforce development programs and rewarding institutional quality and student outcomes,” Altmire said in a statement. “With these actions, President Trump has taken a significant step in providing increased opportunity for students to pursue their goals and life passions, while ensuring educational programs are held accountable for student outcomes.”
Altmire is likely also referring to the executive order “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” which Trump also signed on April 23.