Universities cut DEI programs across the United States, eliminating, renaming, or restructuring diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives amid pressure from the Trump administration. Approximately $3.7 billion in federal research funding has been targeted for cuts, according to a report published by The Center Square on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Why it matters: Federal funding supports university research, including clinical trials, and funding suspensions can interrupt ongoing projects. For Latino students attending public universities, the debate also has practical implications, potentially affecting the availability of student support services and university hiring practices.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 300 colleges and universities have eliminated DEI requirements, closed or restructured diversity offices, removed diversity statements from hiring processes, or revised institutional policies.
Of those institutions, at least 175 have eliminated or restructured DEI offices or centers, while another 95 have eliminated, renamed, or reassigned DEI-related positions. Some universities have changed only the names of their offices, incorporating terms such as «belonging.» Analysts cited by The Center Square say some of these offices continue to perform similar functions.
Six universities have reached agreements with the federal government to restore funding or maintain eligibility for federal support. Four of those institutions agreed to pay a combined $305 million in settlements. The administration has also sought a $1.2 billion penalty from the University of California.
According to The Center Square, the administration has threatened to withhold funding from Harvard and other universities since 2025 over issues involving protests related to the war in Gaza, diversity initiatives, and transgender policies. It has also proposed suspending 38 universities from federal research partnerships over their DEI-related hiring practices.
Federal courts have blocked some of these measures. A judge in Massachusetts prevented approximately $600 million in teacher-training funding cuts, describing the Department of Education's effort to target DEI-related programs as «arbitrary and capricious.»
The situation varies by state and institution. In Texas, public universities must comply with the state's restrictions on DEI initiatives. Texas State University, for example, prohibits maintaining DEI offices, employing DEI staff, requiring diversity statements, granting demographic preferences in hiring, or mandating DEI training.
By contrast, Georgetown University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), maintain offices dedicated to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Supporters of the restrictions argue that some institutional changes are largely cosmetic. Timothy Minella, director of higher education at the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix, said: «It's the same DEI programming, the same DEI training, just with a different label.» He also argued that «What DEI really is, is discrimination» and that universities «need to get back to education, not indoctrination.»
Jonathan Butcher, interim director of the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, argued that «if the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is not being enforced at the state level, then it does become the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that those laws are being enforced.» He added: «Diversity is something that Americans can value. Equality under the law is the requirement,» and expressed concern that «students are afraid to speak up in class.»
Critics, meanwhile, warn that government pressure may restrict academic freedom. Amy Reid, director of PEN America's Freedom to Learn program, stated: «Unfortunately, censorship is already a reality on college campuses, with severe negative effects on teaching, research, and student life.» She also warned that «with threats of formal sanctions and political reprisals from state and federal governments, campus leaders and professors feel they have no choice but to comply, and are increasingly acting preemptively out of fear.»
Reid added: «Politicians are casting a wide net of political and ideological control over higher education on American campuses, changing what can be taught, researched, and debated to fit their own agenda. That is dangerous for free thought in a democracy.»
The Center Square reported contacting organizations that support DEI initiatives, including the National Association for College Admission Counseling, but did not receive responses. Consequently, those organizations' perspectives were not included in the original report, which primarily featured arguments from supporters of the restrictions.
The proposed suspension of 38 universities from federal research partnerships has not been finalized, while courts have already blocked some funding restrictions. Students and university employees can check their institutions' official websites for updated information on available offices, programs, and policies, which vary by state and institution.
Sources: The Center Square. Data consulted on November 1, 2026.
