4 ways for-profit colleges could benefit from a new Trump term

The Hechinger Report

Meredith Kolodner

December 20, 2024

For-profit college officials and their investors celebrated Donald Trump’s return to the White House, but the policies they favor may come with more strings attached than during his first term in office.

There will be similarities — Trump won’t be interested in limiting the growth of the for-profit college industry, as recent Democratic administrations were, and experts expect far fewer students who claim they were defrauded by for-profit colleges to have their loans forgiven. But there are likely to be differences, too. The traditionally conservative anti-regulation forces in Trump’s first administration will now have to contend with his pledge to hold accountable colleges and universities that get federal money. And while there could be a proliferation of for-profit, career-oriented programs, which Trump has signaled he favors, there may be more pressure on them to deliver on promises to help students get jobs.

Here are some areas that for-profits — and their critics — will be watching.

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