If President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, including high-profile figures such as Marco Rubio and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are any signal, a drastic and concerning change in the country’s policy direction is coming. No area, including higher education, will likely be spared.
Based on the former president’s track record and campaign promises, Trump has indicated he would reduce financial aid, privatize student loans and decrease research funding. As one of the largest recipients of federal research funding and serving approximately 76,000 low-income students across the state who receive federal financial aid, the University of California (UC) faces significant risks in a returning Trump administration.
Project 2025, a conservative policy agenda by the Heritage Foundation and believed to be the playbook for the second Trump administration, states that a Republican White House should consider “returning to a system in which private lenders, backed by government guarantees, would compete to offer student loans” and that President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plans “must end.”
Trump slashed the Education Department’s budget every year during his first term and his 2020 budget called for a $5.6 million reduction in funding. In particular, his administration called for a $630 million cut to the Federal Work-Study program — approximately half of its total budget — and proposed an end to the federal reductions to the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant programs.
These potential financial aid cuts directly threaten universities like UC Riverside (UCR), primarily serving low-income, minority students. According to UCR’s demographics, approximately 87% of its undergraduates receive financial aid, with about 48% securing federal Pell Grants — the largest federal grant program. Additionally, half of UCR students identify as Hispanic or Latino, and half are first-generation students.
As the number one university for social mobility, UCR plays a crucial role in students’ economic advancement. Eliminating federal financial aid will impact low-income and minority students who can only get their degrees with this support. Without enough funding for essential Pell Grants or work-study programs, students will need to look for alternative sources of income to make ends meet — a frankly unsustainable way to live as full-time students or succeed academically. Public officials should make higher education more accessible, not privatize it for the elite.
Another major concern under the Trump administration is federal budget cuts for research.
The Trump administration’s funding for research is expected to favor areas of “corporate welfare,” such as space science, while other areas of study the President-elect has criticized, including climate change, will face opposition.
Conducting groundbreaking research across various disciplines, the government’s involvement in determining what should be taught or studied in higher education is extremely dangerous to academic freedom and intellectual progress. Higher education should not be used to spread political agendas. Research produces objective knowledge that is important for innovation and addressing societal challenges. Trump’s political biases and agenda should not impede what higher educational institutions can teach or examine as it leads to suppression of perspectives and compromises academic independence.
While these ideas are not universally popular with all Republicans, the Republican trifecta — holding majority control in the Senate, House of Representatives and the presidency — allows Trump’s agenda to be accomplished with fewer obstacles.
In addition to potential federal risks, UC is facing a $500 million budget gap this year; questions are being raised about how UC will make up for possible budget cuts and continue funding its billion-dollar campus projects. The UC Board of Regents approved a policy to address this shortfall by increasing supplemental tuition for new non-resident undergraduate students enrolled in the 2025-2026 academic year by $2,208. The Board of Regents argues that the tuition increase will help the looming budget gap “without raising costs for current students and California students.”
Higher public education is an essential national and state economic driver. The federal and state governments should do their jobs by funding public education to be accessible to all students. While it’s important to prioritize educating California residents, increasing tuition is not always the answer.
Gov. Newsom promised to allocate $2 billion in funding over five years to support the growth of the state’s three public university systems. However, with California facing a budget deficit in recent years, he has reduced UC funding by $125 million.
For a university like UCR, which receives 45% of its core budget from state funding, it is more important than ever that Gov. Newsom keeps his promise. The federal government shouldn’t defund public higher education either, as it will affect the lives of millions of financially vulnerable students and stymie critical research. With so much at stake, the State of California and UC must work together to protect higher education and vital research.
