Victories for Higher Education: Eliminating DEI

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.

Eliminating DEI: Hundreds of colleges and universities have rooted out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts on their campuses and eliminated unfair requirements for admission, employment, scholarship awards, and more.

• Over 300 colleges and universities have eliminated DEI requirements, closed DEI offices, removed diversity statements from hiring practices, and altered or removed DEI policies.

• Over 45 colleges and universities have removed DEI statements and messaging from university programs or websites.

• At least 15 colleges and universities have eliminated the use of diversity statements in hiring faculty or staff.

• At least 95 colleges and universities have eliminated faculty and staff, renamed faculty and staff positions, or shifted faculty and staff to new roles.

• At least 175 colleges and universities have removed or restructured DEI offices or centers at their institutions.

• Prominent examples include Harvard University, the Ohio State University, Northwestern University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Vanderbilt University, the University of Southern California, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of California System (including UCLA) and the University of North Carolina System.

• The College Board revised the criteria for its National Recognition Program, which favored racial groups and awarded scholarships disproportionately to students from underrepresented ethnic groups. The program now uses merit-based scholarships to recognize the efforts of high-achieving students, regardless of racial or ethnic background.

• Several colleges and universities cancelled affinity ceremonies in 2025.

• This includes Harvard University, Maricopa Community Colleges, the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, the University of Notre Dame, Wichita State University, and, this year, Virginia Tech.

• 31 institutions of higher education agreed to cease their partnerships with the Ph.D. Project, which violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.