• President Trump signed an executive order aimed at overhauling college accreditation.
• The order promotes accountability and challenges alleged "woke ideology" in universities.
• It allows for easier transitions between accreditors and aims to enhance intellectual diversity.
• Fears arise that loss of accreditation could devastate many colleges financially.
• Harvard University and other elite schools face scrutiny and funding freezes under this directive.

On Wednesday, President Trump signed an executive order intended to reshape the college accreditation process, a critical aspect of higher education. Describing it as his “secret weapon,” Trump’s order seeks to challenge what he terms "ideological overreach" in university accreditations by promoting “results” over "woke ideology." The executive order emphasizes increasing intellectual diversity amongst faculty and enhancing metrics for student success, aiming to change how accrediting agencies evaluate institutions, according to The Hill and Newsweek.

The executive order will make it easier for colleges to switch accreditors and facilitate the entry of new accrediting bodies, potentially increasing competition in the accreditation space. The administration views the current system as restrictive, describing it as a cartel that fails to hold poorly performing institutions accountable. Trump aims to hold accrediting bodies accountable if they fail to follow federal laws, particularly regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as reported by Newsweek and CBS News.

Concerns have been raised that the executive order could lead to financial devastation for many universities if they lose accreditation. The accreditation process enables institutions to access federal funding, which amounts to over $120 billion annually for student loans and grants. “If you lose Pell grants and lose student loans, for most colleges that means you're done,” noted Andrew Gillen, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, highlighting the potential impact on students relying on federal assistance, as discussed by Newsweek and CBS News.

The order also mandates the Department of Education to enforce regulations concerning the disclosure of large foreign gifts and explicitly targets universities like Harvard, which have faced funding freezes for not complying with the administration's requests. The executive order compels federal agencies to ensure that universities adhere to existing laws on foreign gifts, amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and elite institutions, particularly Harvard and Columbia, which have been criticized for alleged failures to address antisemitism on campus, according to The Hill and CBS News.