FACT SHEET: Victories for Higher Education, Making College More Affordable and Expediting Workforce Readiness

The Trump Administration is changing the culture in higher education.

Just over a year ago, we saw men claiming victories in women's athletics. Colleges and universities were focused more on diversity, equity, and inclusion than ensuring graduates were prepared for success in life after graduation. Institutions required DEI statements from faculty and held segregated affinity graduation ceremonies for students. Academic standards fell, admissions were skewed to favor race over merit, and students graduated with a massive pile of debt and degrees that led to no job prospects.

Today, institutions of higher education are changing the game because President Trump is bringing back America's Golden Age - shifting the culture and restoring our nation's institutions to greatness.

Making College More Affordable and Expediting Workforce Readiness: The Trump Administration is enacting bold reforms to put pressure on colleges and universities to make their institutions more affordable and ensure their students are ready to enter the workforce quickly.

• Institutions are offering creative new options to help students afford their degree.
  • The California Western School of Law intends to offer scholarships for up to 85% of entering students.
  • The Santa Clara University School of Law committed to giving students a $16,000 scholarship to ensure tuition falls below the $50,000 student loan cap.
  • The University of Kansas School of Law created its own in-house loan program where students can borrow any cost of attendance beyond the $50,000 student loan cap at a 5% fixed interest rate.
  • Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling created its "Bridge the Gap Scholarship," to award scholarships to students based on their demonstrated financial need.
  • Tufts University will waive undergraduate tuition for families earning under $150,000 a year starting in the Fall of 2026.
  • Bryn Mawr College announced free undergraduate tuition for eligible families earning under $175,000 annually, starting in the Fall of 2026.
  • The State University of New York (SUNY), City University of New York (CUNY), University of California, University of Texas System, and the University of Michigan offer affordability scholarships that award up to $100,000 to $125,000 for eligible families.
  • Hanover College's Doctor of Physical Therapy program will begin to offer merit scholarships of either $15,000 or $20,000, depending on the student's unweighted college GPA, to students beginning in August 2026.

• More colleges and universities are offering accelerated bachelor's degree programs that can be completed in three years.

• Accreditors are approving 3-year, accelerated bachelor's degree programs:
  • Prominent accreditors include the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

• Nearly 60 higher education institutions are looking to implement three-year undergraduate degrees under the College in 3 Exchange academic model.

• Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Indiana, Maine, Utah, and other states are currently exploring options for their universities to offer 90- or 96-credit-hour programs to save students time and money, and get them in the workforce faster.

Read about more victories for higher education here.