Over the past year, the Trump Administration has made sweeping changes to how the U.S. is run, including increased arrests by ICE, an executive order ending DEI programs, and numerous proposed cuts to federal student aid—each of which and more will affect this year’s high school graduating class. In this article, we will look at the largest changes and their effects on students, particularly those planning to go to college.
International students have long held a significant role in college admissions, making up roughly 10-12% of Ivy League students according to Bentham Admissions. However, due to the actions of the Trump Administration, admissions experts expect the number of international applicants to decrease sharply over fears of student visas being revoked and possible deportations. These fears are fueled by high-profile cases such as Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil in which students have been arrested by ICE for weeks or months without public evidence of wrongdoing. Critics claim these arrests are linked to political activism and are attempts to censor opposing beliefs. Additionally, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the U.S. will “aggressively” revoke the visas of certain Chinese students in an attempt to combat the Chinese Communist Party and to prioritize American students in “critical fields”—a move expected by critics to further fuel fears for international students (via NPR).
Admissions experts believe that schools with a large proportion of international students, common in most top universities, will see higher acceptance rates for domestic students due to decreased international applicants. Supporters highlight the improved chances for American students, however critics claim this will lead to countless well- or over-qualified students from outside the US being denied a chance at attending an American university.
Earlier this year, all institutions were ordered to remove DEI initiatives or they would lose federal funding, claiming the initiatives are unfair and wasteful—a move which will lead to huge changes for minority students. According to a 2017 study published in the Economics of Education Review, despite no changes to the number of STEM degree completions, the removal of affirmative action programs have reduced the number of minority STEM degree completions by 19%, with the most extreme being 30% for Engineering students. While it is important to distinguish DEI and Affirmative Action as separate programs, critics claim the DEI ban will provide similar results.
Additionally, the removal of DEI offices means less money for minority students. DEI offices commonly provide scholarship opportunities for disadvantaged and minority students, helping create an equitable environment for both new and returning students. However, without the offices and therefore scholarships, many minority students may face increased financial hardship.
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant program in the U.S, and is vital for many low-income students to attend post-secondary education. In June of this year, the Trump Administration proposed multiple cuts to the program for the ‘26-’27 school year. First, the maximum grant would be reduced by 22% from $7,395 to $5,710, meaning an outright reduction in aid for many students. Second, “full-time enrollment” would be defined as 15 credit hours per semester, rather than the previous 12, leading to an estimated one-fifth of Pell Grant recipients being ineligible entirely and many others seeing reduced aid. Supporters claim this reduces waste by prioritizing funding for full time students, however others believe part time (or those who simply have fewer classes) students in need still deserve federal aid.
These proposed cuts would target low-income students and make it more difficult to afford college, furthering the student loan crisis and bringing increased financial hardship for these students.