Trump’s Federal Policy Has Thrown a Wrench Into Higher Education Budgeting

With grants on the chopping block and higher education under heightened scrutiny, one red-state college financial officer said they’re being more conservative about scholarships.

Harvard University
The DOJ is investigating Harvard University. Charles Krupa/AP

The Trump administration is making it harder for colleges and universities to budget for the upcoming year.

Hundreds of universities and colleges across the country are perpetually under financial strain. Now, they’re seeing research grants cut, health care funding at risk and a hard-line immigration agenda threaten revenue from tuition.

“If the international pipeline gets cut off, as well as federal funding for grants, I think you will see schools that are already on the brink closing or merging that you never would have thought would be in trouble,” a chief financial officer for a midsize college in a red state, who was not authorized to speak on behalf of their employer, told NOTUS.