Trump vs Harris on higher education

This story is published as part of U.S. Democracy Day and the Utah College Media Collaborative, a cross-campus project bringing together emerging journalists from Salt Lake Community College, the University of Utah, Utah State University and Utah Tech University.

The 2024 presidential election is set to be held on Nov. 5, 2024. Among many issues in politics, higher education has long been pivotal to voters. 

In recent years, the higher education policies and views of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump have illuminated notable differences in ideology and priorities. 

Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump’s approach to higher education often focuses on deregulation, accountability for institutions, and fostering alternatives to traditional four-year college programs. During former President Donald Trump’s term, his approach showed an emphasis on personal responsibility and skepticism toward government intervention.

Deregulation 

A key aspect of Trump’s higher education policy was rolling back federal regulations on institutions. During his administration, Trump’s Department of Education dismantled several Obama-era regulations that governed for-profit colleges and protections for students. Trump believes less regulation allows for greater flexibility and innovation in higher education.

Trump’s administration was supportive of for-profit colleges and reversed policies that made it easier for students to get loan forgiveness from for-profit colleges that had misled them. The main argument for this is institutions need to be protected from burdensome regulations. 

Trump has recently expressed interest in dismantling the Department of Education and turning decisions about education to the state level. The Trump campaign told Fox News Digital that the Department of Education “has been failing America’s students for too long, and it’s time for serious change.” 

Student Loan Reform 

Trump has not advocated for widespread student loan forgiveness, stating that it is unfair to the people who have worked to pay their debts. Trump also suggested eliminating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives the student loans of borrowers working in public service for ten years.

However, Trump has proposed simplifying student loan payment plans, consolidating multiple repayment options into one income-driven repayment plan and capping monthly payments at 12.5% of discretionary income. 

Additionally, in 2019 Trump directed the Department of Education to remove barriers so that veterans with severe disabilities could see debt relief more easily, expecting to impact 25,000 veterans who previously didn’t qualify.

DEI and Affirmative Action

Trump’s Education Department discouraged the use of race in college admissions decisions and investigated Princeton University in fall 2020 after its president acknowledged that institutional racism exists on the campus.

Trump has become an opponent of critical race theory (CRT) and banned federal agencies from holding trainings about systemic racism while in office. He also banned “divisive concepts” in federally funded programs. 

Free Online University

Trump has proposed a free online university program dubbed “The American Academy.”

In a video message on Nov. 1, he laid out a plan for an open-access program that it would be paid for by taxing private university endowments.

He promised that the federal government would recognize any credentials awarded through the American Academy and people could earn “the full and complete equivalent of a bachelor’s degree.”

Title IX

Under Trump, the Department of Education revised Title IX regulations for how colleges handle sexual harassment and assault cases. The revisions aimed to provide greater protections for those accused of misconduct, emphasizing due process rights in disciplinary proceedings. 

Vocational Training and Apprenticeships 

Trump is a strong proponent of vocational training and apprenticeships as alternatives to traditional college pathways. He signed an executive order aimed at expanding apprenticeships and promoting skills-based education that could directly lead to jobs in industries like manufacturing, construction, and technology. Trump’s administration believed this approach would help address the skills gap and reduce student debt.

Accreditation

College accreditation agencies oversee the higher education system in the U.S., and Trump has promised a complete overhaul of the college accreditation system. 

Kamala Harris

As of publication, Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to speak on her policies regarding higher education for her presidential candidacy. However, she has historically favored policies prioritizing affordability and access to higher education. Harris’s views have been influenced by her time as Senator and as California Attorney General and emphasize addressing systemic inequities to pursuing higher education.

Tuition-Free College 

Harris was one of five original co-sponsors of the College for All Act of 2017. The bill would have made all four-year public colleges and universities tuition-free for anybody making less than $125,000 per year and public community college tuition-free for people of all incomes. Although this bill failed, Harris has continued to support the proposal and outlined her own plan during the 2020 vice presidential debate. 

Student Loan Forgiveness

Harris has been a strong proponent of student loan forgiveness, particularly for low and middle-income borrowers. While serving in the Senate, she supported initiatives to forgive up to $50,000 of federal student loan debt for each borrower. As the attorney general of California, Harris sued Corinthians College in 2013 for misrepresenting students’ job prospects and false and deceptive advertising.

The Biden-Harris administration has forgiven $168.5 billion in federal student loans since January 2021. In May 2022, Politico reported that Harris strongly supported this initiative and wanted to forgive even more loans than Biden was originally willing to concede.

Minority-Serving Institutions 

Harris, a graduate of Howard University, one of the most prominent Historically Black Colleges and Universities, has advocated for increased funding for HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions. 

Title IX

During the Trump administration, Harris co-signed a letter urging the Department of Education to rescind a proposed rule requiring colleges to hold hearings to decide sexual harassment claims, among other changes to the student reporting process.

“We urge you to listen to students, schools, and survivors across this country, abandon this harmful proposal, and start over in order to draft a rule consistent with the requirements in Title IX that truly addresses the scourge of sexual assault in our classrooms, on our campuses, and wherever our students live and learn,” the letter said, in part.

The Biden-Harris administration has instituted new rules reversing many of the Trump-era Title IX policies, and a Harris presidency would likely continue this effort. 

Pell Grants and Financial Aid 

Harris has supported increasing Pell Grant funding to help low-income students afford college. She has also advocated for reforming the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process to make it easier and more accessible for students to receive financial aid.

Aubrey Holdaway reported and wrote this story as a journalism student with Utah State University’s The Utah Statesman. Her article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.