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Majority of Americans Oppose Trump’s Higher Education Policies, Poll Shows

A new AP-NORC poll reveals 56% disapproval of the administration’s funding cuts and demands on universities, highlighting concerns over tuition costs and academic autonomy.

FILE - People walk between buildings, Dec. 17, 2024, on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in front of the West Wing of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in front of the West Wing of the White House, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Overview

  • The Trump administration has frozen $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard and cut funding to other elite universities, citing concerns over liberal bias, antisemitism, and policy disagreements.
  • An AP-NORC poll conducted May 1–5 shows 56% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s higher education policies, while 40% approve, reflecting sharp partisan divides.
  • Approximately 60% of Americans value universities' contributions to medical, scientific, and technological research and support maintaining federal funding for these efforts.
  • Republicans largely back Trump’s approach to higher education, but they are split on punitive funding cuts, with only half supporting such measures.
  • Public concern over the rising cost of college tuition significantly outweighs worries about campus bias or antisemitism, with 6 in 10 Americans identifying tuition costs as a key issue.