Here’s What the Trump Administration Wants to Change in Higher Ed’s Landmark Law – The Chronicle of Higher Education
The White House on Monday released its first stand-alone proposal for higher-education reform, urging the U.S. Congress to enact laws affecting accreditation, Pell Grants, and student-loan repayment.
The plan repeats themes raised in President Trump’s 2020 federal budget proposal and reflects division between Democrats and Republicans over the federal government’s role in regulating the forces that shape colleges and the for-profit sector.
Trump’s budget proposal for 2020, released last week, includes a $7-billion cut in the U.S. Department of Education, a changed student-loan repayment process, and the elimination of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
Monday’s proposal includes requests that Congress consolidate income-driven repayment programs into one “simplified” program, allow Pell funds to be directed toward students leaving prison and toward shorter-term programs offering certificates and licenses, and create a pilot program to direct nontraditional students toward “market-driven work-force development programs.” It would define accreditors by mission rather than by geography. It would also orient federal work-study dollars toward specific career paths rather than “just subsidized employment as a means of financial aid.”