Since beginning his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump has been vocal about his plans to upend the education system in the United States. One of his most notable positions has been his intention to end all DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs at educational institutions. On Feb. 14, a large step toward making this promise a reality was taken when the U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to all schools receiving federal funding (including many U.S. post-secondary education institutions), ordering them to end all race-based programs, citing them as discrimination, “throughout every facet of academia.” “Under any banner, discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin is, has been, and will continue to be illegal,” the letter stated.
Written by the DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Craig Trainor, the letter — known as a “Dear Colleague” letter, which is an official letter sent by one member of a legislative body to other members — referenced the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the 2023 case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ruled that affirmative action for admission to educational institutions was unconstitutional. Trainor expressed in the letter that this ruling also applies to programs including (but not limited to) financial aid, scholarships, and housing at all schools that receive federal funding, calling these programs discriminatory.
“In recent years, American educational institutions have discriminated against students on the basis of race, including white and Asian students,” Trainor wrote. “These institutions’ embrace of pervasive and repugnant race-based preferences and other forms of racial discrimination have emanated throughout every facet of academia.”
The letter gave schools 14 days to comply before they risked being investigated and losing their federal funding, with a deadline of Feb. 28, 2025. However, the content of the letter itself was vague in its expectations for institutions and left many college students confused about how their education, extracurriculars, and campus experiences might be impacted. Here is a breakdown of what’s known about the order so far.
What kinds of programs are included in this order?
The letter stated that educational institutions could not use race as a factor in decisions pertaining to “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”
But the guidelines regarding what constitutes this is extremely broad, leaving a ton of room for interpretation. “At its core, the test is simple: If an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person’s race, the educational institution violates the law,” the letter said.
Although the extent of the impact this will have on students and schools is unclear, for college students in particular, it is likely that the material taught in classes, scholarships, and organizations like Black fraternities and sororities will be affected.
Cutting DEI initiatives can have impactful consequences on the quality of education that Americans receive. Many universities use federal funding to support financial aid and research, but K-12 education uses federal funding as well. Title 1 schools, which are schools that primarily serve lower-income families, stand to lose the most if their funding is taken away. Beyond just the financial consequences, cutting DEI programs has the potential to increase workplace discrimination, because there are fewer systems in place to recognize things like pay equity and hiring diversity. Still, because of the letter’s vague language, it’s difficult to predict what consequences Americans in the education system will actually face.
When will this take effect?
Trainor stated in the letter that the Department of Education will take action to assess compliance beginning 14 days after the letter was released. Since the letter was published on Feb. 14, schools should prepare for these measures to take effect beginning on Feb. 28.
Will the government actually be able to enforce these guidelines?
Trump’s actions regarding the Department of Education have already received widespread pushback, and citizens and lawmakers alike shared their criticisms for the letter. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) has been vocal about the Trump administration’s lack of authority to impose the orders of this letter on schools. In a statement published on Feb. 15, she said, “There is simply no authority or basis for Trump to impose such a mandate … I refuse to let Trump and Elon [Musk] try to bully our schools from teaching students basic and important topics like the history of slavery or treatment of indigenous people in America.”
The American Federation of Teachers has also called the letter illegal, as federal law prevents the government from telling schools what or what not to teach.
The Department of Education has never revoked an educational institution’s funding for Title VI violations. If it were to do so now, it would be an “unprecedented exercise of federal influence over university activities,” according to Inside Higher Ed. Trump, however, has been taking several unprecedented actions lately, so this is within the realm of possibility for his administration.
Still, it’s hard to gauge exactly how strict the reinforcement of these rules will be. Much of the language is unclear, including the warning against “indirect” racial preference, which means there could be room for debate as to what actually qualifies as race-based programming.
How can college students fight to protect race-based programs in higher education?
The first thing to be aware of is that, because of the letter’s unclear wording and expectations, it isn’t known exactly how strict the monitoring of, and punishment for, race-based programs in higher education will actually be. For that reason, many higher education officials aren’t making moves to comply with the letter just yet. College students can follow suit by continuing to support and participate in these programs for the time being.
One of the most simple but important ways to protect these programs is by being an advocate. You can advocate for people whose voices aren’t being heard every day, in small ways and large ones. Even if your school participates in getting rid of race-based programming, there are still actions you can take. You can spread information on social media or around campus about your organization, or create or join a peaceful protest to keep your community aware.
Another way to stay engaged in the fight to protect these programs is by educating yourself and others. DEI and race-based programs have shown that representation matters, and that challenging your conventional views and thinking critically about issues benefits education overall. You can educate yourself by reading a variety of perspectives, including voices that have historically been marginalized or silenced.
Finally, contact your local senators or representatives and let them know how harmful the effects of this action by the Trump administration will be. You can also contact your school officials to express your concerns and show the necessity of having race-based programming on campus. Every voice counts, and sharing your opinion may have an effect on how lawmakers and colleges respond.