Trump Signs Seven Executive Orders Reforming Education Accreditation, Foreign Funding

On April 23, 2025, President Trump issued a series of executive orders significantly impacting education policy, especially for higher education and K-12 institutions. Key measures include reforming accreditation agencies to prevent them from requiring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies as a condition for federal recognition, and prioritizing accreditation tied to student outcomes and academic quality. The orders also mandate stricter enforcement and expanded disclosure requirements for foreign funding received by universities, with penalties for noncompliance. Additional directives aim to promote excellence and innovation at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), expand apprenticeships, and eliminate the use of disparate-impact liability in education-related civil rights enforcement. The administration asserts these changes are intended to curb what it terms unlawful discrimination and ideological enforcement by accreditors, instead emphasizing intellectual diversity and academic freedom. These moves signal heightened scrutiny and possible shifts in federal support, regulatory priorities, and compliance expectations for educational institutions.