How would the Department of Education’s abolishment affect college students? – The Cauldron
At a campaign rally on Sept. 23, 2024, President Donald Trump announced his intention to shut down the Department of Education (ED), declaring, “I’m going to close the Department of Education and move education back to the states.”
The announcement has sparked questions about the ED’s role in the education system and what its elimination would mean for students.
Financial aid
The majority of ED funding goes into financial aid.
The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) is responsible for FAFSA, subsidized loans, student loan forgiveness, and various grants and scholarships. All of these programs are widely used by college students, with FAFSA alone receiving 17.53 million applications from 2021 to 2022.
Pell Grants are the largest federal grant program for undergraduate students with financial need. Unlike loans, Pell Grants do not need to be repaid, adding a new level of accessibility for underprivileged students.
Pell Grants are entirely funded by the ED on a federal level. If education was left entirely to the state level, these grants would disappear.
If the ED is abolished, all these programs — which provided about $114.1 billion in federal loans and grants to over 9.7 million college students in 2023 — would either be defunded or discontinued. This would make it increasingly difficult for low-income students to obtain the means necessary to pursue higher education.
A state-led approach to education would also lead to greater disparities in tuition cost and financial aid from state to state. Some states might not have the funding to make up for the loss at the federal level, resulting in budget cuts to higher education. Where a student lives will directly impact their access to education.
Student protection
The ED’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) enforces civil rights and anti-discrimination laws in schools on the basis of race, nationality, sex and disability. Without the ED, the state would be responsible for protecting against discrimination, risking inconsistency.
The department also oversees student privacy regulations like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This gives college and university students control over the disclosure of their personal information and education records. Without FERPA, schools could share personal information without the student’s consent. This applies to more than just grades, but also student medical records.
The ED ensures colleges meet certain standards to receive federal funding. Getting rid of the federal funding would take away that incentive.
A state-led education
Closing the ED would transform the U.S. education system, leaving states to fill gaps in funding, regulation and standards.
For Cleveland State students, financial aid, student protection and other related university regulations will be left to a Republican-led Ohio.
The Cauldron reached out to the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) at CSU for comment regarding how this will affect CSU students, with no response prior to publication.