As a mother of a high school senior, I see what millions of American families see: a higher education system that demands more and delivers less. We tell our kids that a college degree is their ticket to the American dream—but for too many, that dream is being buried under a mountain of debt.
Today, student loan debt in the U.S. has reached $1.77 trillion, with the average borrower owing over $38,000. More than 43 million Americans hold federal loans, and the impact is being felt across every community—including among Hispanic families, where 67% of graduates leave college with debt. For many, that debt delays marriage, homeownership, and having children—life milestones that should follow higher education, not be postponed because of it.
President Trump is already taking decisive action. His restructuring of the Department of Education last month under Secretary Linda McMahon is a bold first step toward transforming a system that has become bloated, inefficient, and out of touch with the needs of students and families. Because the truth is: the system isn’t just broken—it’s rigged.
Colleges have raised tuition year after year, knowing students can borrow more to cover the difference. At public universities, students now borrow an average of $31,960 just to earn a bachelor’s degree. Some institutions charge $3,000 to $8,000 for a single three-credit course—often in subjects unrelated to a student’s major or career goals. General education requirements can make up over a year’s worth of coursework, extending time to graduation and inflating costs.
All of this is enabled by an outdated accreditation system that protects legacy institutions and blocks affordable, innovative alternatives. Universities face no pressure to reduce costs because they know federal loans will keep flowing. The result is a cycle of debt and disappointment.
President Trump has the opportunity—and the authority—to fix it. He should start by breaking the accreditation monopoly. Today’s accreditors act more like protection rackets than quality enforcers. States and private institutions should be empowered to create new accreditation bodies that emphasize affordability, real-world skills, and student outcomes—not bloated administration or ideological conformity. Secretary McMahon, with her background in innovation and entrepreneurship, is the right person to lead this charge.
Second, Trump should build on his 2020 executive order that eliminated unnecessary degree requirements for federal jobs. Too many public and private sector employers continue to demand four-year degrees for roles that could be filled by someone with hands-on experience, a certificate, or technical training. By shifting the focus from credentials to competence, we can create new pathways to success for millions of Americans—without forcing them into long-term debt.
Third, the administration should level the playing field for students who take Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual-enrollment courses in high school. In many cases, universities refuse to honor these credits, forcing students to retake courses they’ve already passed. By tying federal funding to credit recognition, President Trump can save students time and tens of thousands of dollars, much like European systems that award bachelor’s degrees in just three years.
Finally, it’s time to inject real competition into general education. The president should issue an executive order requiring all federally funded universities to offer gen-ed requirements through accredited online platforms or community colleges—at no additional cost to students. Let families shop around. Let schools prove their value.
This agenda would transform the economics of college—and it would restore higher education to its proper role: a pathway to opportunity, not a source of lifelong financial hardship.
And it would particularly benefit those who have long viewed education as their best shot at upward mobility—immigrant families, working-class parents, first-generation students, and yes, Hispanic Americans who still believe in the promise of education.
President Trump has already taken the first step, and now he can Make Education Great Again.
By reforming accreditation, rolling back unnecessary degree requirements, honoring early-college coursework, and making general education competitive, he can lead a transformation that empowers students, lifts families, and restores fairness to a system that desperately needs it.
This is how we make higher education serve the people again—not the institutions.
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