A new AP-NORC poll finds that the majority of Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump’s stance on colleges and universities as he intensifies threats to cut federal funding unless schools comply with his political agenda.
More than half of Americans, 56 percent, disapprove of the Trump administration’s approach to higher education, while about four in 10 approve, reflecting his overall job approval ratings.
Since taking office in January, Trump has sought to enforce change at universities he claims have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.
Harvard University is the most recent target. The Trump administration has frozen over $2.2 billion in federal grants, threatened to strip the school’s tax-exempt status, and demanded broad policy changes. The university has characterized the government’s demands as a threat to the autonomy that the Supreme Court has long granted to American universities.
The Trump administration has also cut off funding to other elite colleges, including Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University, citing their handling of pro-Palestinian activism and transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports.
This targeting of universities appears out of step with the wider American public, which sees such institutions as key to scientific research, new ideas, and innovation.
About six in 10 U.S. adults say colleges and universities make more of a positive contribution to medical and scientific research than a negative one, and a similar share favors maintaining federal funding for scientific research.
Freddy Ortega, 66, a Democrat and a retired military veteran in Columbus, Georgia, told the AP: “The way [Trump] took away all that money in funding, impacting things that Harvard has been working on for the betterment of the world.”
“One man should not have that much power,” Ortega continued. “This is something for Congress to deal with.”
Ortega, who is Hispanic, also expressed concern regarding Trump’s attempts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion programs throughout U.S. society. “I came up in the military. I know the good that those programs do,” he said. “It changes the direction that people’s lives are going to take.”
For Republicans, the issue is more complex. The president’s approach generally resonates strongly with them, even more so than his handling of the economy, with eight in 10 Republicans approving of his approach to colleges, many of whom see universities as places where conservative ideas are silenced and liberalism runs unchecked. Six in 10 say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about liberal bias on campus.
However, on withholding federal funding from schools unless they bow to Trump’s demands, the numbers are significantly different. About half are in favor, while about one-quarter are opposed, and a similar share is neutral.
“I’m all for it,” said Republican voter Hengameh Abraham, 38, a mother of two in Roseville, California. She supports cutting federal funds and opposes DEI programs, saying she emigrated to America from Iran as a teenager and worked hard to succeed in school without the help of affirmative action programs.
“Your racial identity, nationality, and background should not be a factor in getting accepted to college or getting a job,” said Abraham. She endorses Trump’s focus on campus antisemitism. When pro-Palestinian protests swept through U.S. colleges last year, she noted that some of the demonstrators’ messaging was anti-U.S.
“I do not think if you have any kind of anti-American agenda or slogan that you should be allowed on a university campus in the United States,” she said.
In Harvard’s case, Trump has threatened to remove its tax-exempt status, and his administration has implemented funding cuts. Those measures are divisive among the general public: nearly half oppose withholding federal funding as a punitive action, while about one-quarter favor it. About one-quarter remain neutral.
Charles Jolivette, 43, a Democrat and college career counselor from New Orleans, views Trump’s education policies as an assault on free speech and people of color.
“Not only is the president going after anyone he feels is an opponent and anyone who is not compliant, but he’s attacking some of the most important elements of our society,” said Jolivette. “It’s rampant bullying from the president of the United States, who is supposed to be crossing the aisle.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a top concern of most Americans is the cost of a college degree, with about six in 10 U.S. adults “extremely” or “very” concerned about the cost of tuition. The majority of Democrats and Republicans share that concern, which far outweighs concerns about antisemitism and liberal bias on campuses among the general public.
“College costs a lot more than it needs to. To get an education, you should not have to break your pocketbook,” said Eunice Cortez, 68, a Republican near Houston.
Cortez, who is originally from Mexico, did not attend college, but she ensured that her U.S.-born children did and is proud that her grandchildren are earning college degrees. She supports Trump but is concerned that some of his policies, including funding cuts, will make it harder for people who need tuition aid to obtain an education. She sees it as the government “getting in the way” of an educated society.
The poll shows a divide between college-educated Americans and those without college degrees, highlighting a possible cultural rift that Trump has seized on in the past.
Most Americans with a college degree—62 percent—oppose withholding funding from universities that don’t comply with the president’s requirements. In contrast, those without a college degree are divided: about three in 10 in favor, a similar proportion oppose, while around four in 10 express no opinion.
Kara Hansen, 40, a registered independent in Seminole, Oklahoma, is a few credits shy of a college degree. She supports the idea of dismantling the Education Department to shake things up. But she said she’s concerned by what she calls Trump’s “authoritarian tendencies” and a growing fear on college campuses to speak up and voice opinions.
“It feels like everybody has a muzzle on,” Hansen said. “They can’t fully express themselves because they’re afraid of getting in trouble, and afraid of Trump.”
About three in 10 U.S. adults say students or professors can freely speak their minds “a lot” on college and university campuses. About four in 10 say they can do this to some extent. However, Republicans feel their views are stifled, with about eight in 10 saying liberals can speak their minds “a lot” or “some” on campus, but fewer than half express the same sentiment about conservatives.
With reporting from the Associated Press
