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
Issue Brief
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January 6, 2026
A New Era for College Sports: The Saving College Sports Proposal Outshines the SCORE and SAFE Acts
College sports stand at an existential crossroads. This uniquely American institution has enriched and shaped American culture for over a century. It has given us reasons to cheer for our student athletes, schools, communities, and country. It has developed many of our nation’s leaders by cultivating grit, determination, and resilience. The impact of college sports on social mobility is unmatched throughout the world. Through talent, hard work, and perseverance, college sports have helped generations of young Americans to achieve their own American Dream.
Op-Ed
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December 17, 2025
Trump’s Agreement with Northwestern Is a Warning to Higher Education
Given the nonstop pace of the Trump administration news cycle, it would be easy to assume that all has gone quiet on the university front. Early enforcement actions to address rampant antisemitism at Columbia University and Harvard University dominated the headlines for months and offered university leaders a stark choice: accept a tough but fair civil rights settlement or risk institutional ruin.
State Model Policy
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December 15, 2025
Higher Education Academic Excellence and Accountability Act
The purpose of this act is to enact a package of needed higher education reforms, in line with the goals of the Trump Administration’s Compact for Excellence in Higher Education. U.S. higher education plays a vital role in preparing citizens for participation in a free and self-governing society. Public and private institutions of higher education benefit from public subsidies, tax exemptions, and other State supports. In exchange for these privileges, institutions bear an obligation to:
Fact Sheet
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November 5, 2025
Texas and American Bar Association
On September 26, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court announced its preliminary approval of amendments to Rule 1 of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Texas, which will transfer responsibility for law school accreditation and oversight from the American Bar Association (ABA) to the state’s highest court. Texas would be the first state to break away from the ABA’s accreditation system — a consequential decision that challenges the ABA’s long-standing monopoly over legal education standards and could reshape the nation’s legal landscape.
Fact Sheet
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October 24, 2025
President Trump Makes Civics Education Great Again
On September 29, 2025, President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Education announced more than $153 million in new grant awards through the American History and Civics Seminars Program, marking the beginning of a new era in the nation’s civics education.
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