Higher Education Reform Initiative
Develop and advance higher education policy reforms at the state and national levels.
Policy Priorities
Reform America’s Dysfunctional Higher Education Accreditation System
Rethink Public Financing of Postsecondary Study to Encourage Competition and Accountability
Open New Pathways to Family-Sustaining Careers
Combat the Politicization of Higher Education and Encourage Viewpoint Diversity on U.S. Campuses
Protect Students’ and Professors’ First Amendment Rights
Universities are among the most important institutions in American society—responsible for advancing science, fostering economic growth, transmitting a cultural inheritance to the next generation, and preparing young people for citizenship and family-sustaining careers. Unfortunately, although U.S. universities are lavishly funded by state and federal taxpayers, many of them are failing to live up to their important public responsibilities.
The America First Policy Institute’s Higher Education Reform Initiative works to develop and advance policy reforms at the state and national levels. We envision a competitive higher education marketplace that does a better job of graduating students with in-demand skills and credentials at a reasonable cost to families and taxpayers. Universities should also prepare graduates for citizenship and lifelong learning through rigorous academic programs delivered in an environment that fosters free inquiry and a wide range of viewpoints.
Team
Latest
Op-Ed
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April 11, 2025
Higher education funding should prioritize Americans
Columbia University is becoming the poster child for systemic problems in higher education. The campus’s recent failure to protect the civil rights of Jewish students cost it $400 million in federal grants and contracts.
Bill Analysis
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April 10, 2025
Implementing the College Cost Reduction Act Through Budget Reconciliation
H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act of 2024 (CCRA), was introduced last year by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and co-sponsored by over 150 Republican lawmakers. The bill aims to fundamentally reform higher education financing by reducing tuition costs, improving transparency, and holding institutions accountable for directing students toward expensive, low return-on-investment (ROI) degrees.
Fact Sheet
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April 3, 2025
DOGE Takes Real Action to Curb Government Waste
Fact Sheet
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April 3, 2025
President Trump Takes Real Action to Combat Racial Discrimination
An executive order signed by President Trump, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” directs federal agencies to end “all discriminatory and illegal preferences,” including by enforcing civil rights protections against “illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.”
Fact Sheet
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April 3, 2025
President Trump Takes Real Action to Combat Antisemitism
An executive order signed by President Trump, titled “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” ensures foreign student visa holders understand that their ability to study in America is a privilege, not a right.
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