Crisis on Campus: Trump’s Executive Orders and How it Will Affect Higher Education

Image via SI Live

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Since being inaugurated on January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump has signed 66 executive orders. And, unlike in his previous administration where these orders faced numerous legal challenges, this rollout has structured its policies to withstand court reversals. Notably, some executive orders are set to negatively impact colleges and universities, especially regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and immigration. 

One of the most controversial and comprehensive executive orders is “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” passed on January 20th. The order says to terminate all DEI, DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility), and environment justice offices, positions, programs, and initiatives throughout the country. Make no mistake: this order can—and will—have detrimental effects on the United States Department of Education. 

On January 23, 2025, the Department of Education issued a statement highlighting that it has taken measures to eliminate “harmful” DEI programs to limit wasteful and illegal government spending. The Department has archived mentions of DEI from documents, reports, and websites, and also put employees in charge of DEI programs within the Department on administrative leave. Further, it has dismantled its Diversity and Inclusion Council created by President Obama’s Executive Order 13583, and almost 200 of the Department’s websites have been taken down because they held DEI resources and encouraged schools and universities to promote DEI programs. 

The future of the Department of Education is still in the air. The Trump administration has stated numerous times its plans to dismantle the Department of Education as much as the law will allow. Thankfully, it would be almost impossible to dismantle it altogether without the approval of Congress. But already, $900 million has been cut from an office within the Department of Education that tracks the process of students across the country—a clear warning of things to come. 

What Does This Mean for Colleges and Universities?

The Department of Education distributes billions of dollars to schools and universities throughout the United States. Through his executive orders, Trump stated that this money would be suspended if institutions continued to push “critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content.” 

Public K-12 schools do not rely much on the federal government, but rather on the state and local governments for funding. However, colleges and universities receive significant and essential financial support from the federal government via research grants and financial aid.

Research grants have already been affected here at Fordham University. Jude Ortega, a senior at Fordham, works as a research assistant for the Human Development and Social Justice Lab and Vision and Memory Lab under the Psychology Department and the Ethics Department. While the lab’s research tends to vary, Ortega stated that much of the research focuses on the effects of gender between groups and mainly concentrates on the LGBTQ+ community. Since Trump has been in office, the lab has been explicitly told not to use vocabulary or terminology such as gender, women, trans, etc., in their grants and papers because they will be rejected. Previously, grant applications were peer-reviewed, but now if any DEI terminology or language is included, they will be rejected on the spot. Ortega expressed frustration and annoyance because of this, but thankfully, these obstacles have not entirely prevented the lab from its work. 

Additionally, on February 14, 2025, the Department of Education sent a memo to universities urging them to stop using “racial preferences” in admissions, financial aid, and hiring practices. This memo directly extends President Trump’s executive orders banning DEI programs. It uses the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023) Supreme Court case, which prohibited races as a factor in college admission, as justification for rolling back DEI programs. 

Trump’s Executive Orders that Affect Immigration and International Students

At present, the United States has 1.1 million international students. Before Trump’s inauguration, many American universities urged their international students to return early from winter breaks in case of a travel ban. Thankfully, such a ban has not been implemented, but international students have been and will continue to be affected by Trump’s administration. 

Specifically, President Trump has signed multiple executive orders regarding immigration that can affect these students. The orders “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” and “American First Policy Directive to the Secretary of State” were signed by President Trump on January 20th. “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” aims to strengthen and streamline the screening process for all visa applicants. This includes student visas like F-1 status and J-1 status. F-1 visas are given to most international students, but J-1 visas are given to international students on specific educational exchange programs (e.g. a Fulbright Scholarship). The order outlines other provisions, such as ensuring applicants do not bear “hostile attitudes” toward the United States, which could impact international students who previously protested on their college campuses. Similarly, “America First Policy Directive to the Secretary of State” aims to make the Department of State align all of its directives with Trump’s “America First” Policy, which could have severe implications for state-funded international exchange and study abroad programs. 

Along with Trump’s numerous executive orders, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took away “sensitive locations” in schools, universities, churches, and hospitals. The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforcement actions are not limited to specific places. On January 31, 2025, Fordham University’s Public Safety sent out a campus-wide email urging Fordham individuals to familiarize themselves with the campus guidelines on what to do if an ICE officer approached them. This email from our University came directly after DHS rescinded its policy because our campus is not a “sensitive location” anymore. Fordham’s students, faculty, and staff will continue to be impacted by ICE, as another order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” instructs the attorney general to examine federal contracts with private institutions that directly or indirectly support undocumented immigrants. Fordham individuals may be directly affected by this order, especially since Public Safety has already taken precautionary measures and created guidelines for the Fordham population to follow.   

The sweeping scope of President Donald Trump’s executive orders marks a tense moment within higher education in the United States. DEI programs are being dismantled, federal funding to universities is being tightened, and international and undocumented students are at risk. Our University is forced to navigate these brand-new policies while upholding its commitment to DEI programs and initiatives. As the landscape of higher education shifts under the Trump administration, it begs the question: How will Fordham protect its core value of cura personalis and support its students with unprecedented and, frankly, unwanted, political intervention?

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This article was edited by Bowen Yao.