Many Republican politicians support shutting down the U.S. Department of Education saying that school curricula and funding are within states’ rights. Opposers say the department provides indispensable support for poorer school districts and universities that benefit from federal funding. Closing the department could also affect student loan repayment organization, forgiveness and college affordability.
While plans have been spelled out to dissolve the Department of Education, federal student loan borrowers are struggling with repayments, now. Trill Magazine spoke with some graduates about their opinions on how closing the department could impact them and future students. One borrower, Northeastern University alumna Kate Rivelli, said that starting to repay her federal loans in May 2024 was challenging.
Rivelli shared with Trill how it was “difficult to navigate” the FAFSA process. This was especially true when her loan providers inexplicably changed twice across her four years, Rivelli added.
Rivelli said that in her experience with the Office of Student Federal Aid, there was only one contact email and a feeling of, “Good luck, you are on your own.” A disruption such as abolishing the department on “such a grand scale” may have negative impacts, Rivelli said.
I think it is really impractical. If you are going to get rid of these things that are helping people, you definitely have to make college free, which I don’t think [Donald Trump] is a champion of.
Kate Rivelli, 2025
Republican and South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds introduced a bill abolishing the Department of Education on Nov. 21, 2024. The “Returning Education Back to Our States Act” would redistribute the Department of Education’s responsibilities and budget to various federal bodies.
"I'm going to close the Department of Education" — Trump pic.twitter.com/DZ3tha3HCb
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 24, 2024
This bill is in lock-step with President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda and suggestions outlined in Chapter 11 of Project 2025, a 920-page Conservative policy blueprint. At a rally in Indiana County, Pennsylvania in September 2024, Trump said he would “close” the department and “move education back to the states.”
Context
In 1979 Congress approved the creation of the Department of Education. The department sets laws, protects student civil rights and funds food and special education programs. Since its creation, however, the Republican Party has consistently agreed the department was a federal overreach and should not have ever existed. Some Republican objections to standard school curricula include teaching “woke” lessons in classrooms.
Three big responsibilities of the Department of Education fall to its Office of Student Federal Aid. The office disburses the financial aid, collects the repayments of student college loans and determines who may receive loan forgiveness. Republican lawmakers today debate that the Treasury Department is in charge of borrowing and lending so they should take over those responsibilities.
Student loan disbursements and federal financial aid would continue to be offered even if the department were dissolved. Proponents of dissolution argue that student loan borrowing programs would remain the same, the only difference being that a different federal agency or body manages disbursement.
Republican lawmakers face an uphill battle to abolish the department. To bypass a filibuster, Senate Republicans would need a 60-vote supermajority in favour of their bill. Securing the favour of all Republicans plus seven Democrats remains a tall order and not guaranteed.
The Potential Impacts
Critics such as attorney Adam Minsky, a senior contributor to Forbes Magazine focusing on student loans, say people need to brace for the possibility. Minsky wrote in his analysis the indirect consequences of a change in management could be disruptive and harmful.
Minsky wrote that a shift could lead to understaffing, confusion and slowed processing of student loan disbursement. He added that “borrowers could bear the brunt” of abolishing the Department of Education such as “administrative errors and less accountability.”
Getting rid of the department and Office of Student Financial Aid would be a “chaotic” move that could hurt students and even decrease college enrolment, Michelle Dimino said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed.
Dimino, the education program director of Third Way, a center left think tank, said that creating hurdles to access college financial aid would be a “detriment” to society.
You could very well end up in a system where college access is blocked off for students who have financial need, and that really would reverse the progress that’s been made over the past decade to create a system that had more open pathways into higher education for anybody who wants them.
Michelle Dimino, Inside Higher Ed, 2024
Student loan forgiveness plans could also be at risk. President Joseph Biden made student debt relief a cornerstone of his campaign and agenda in office. Approving more people for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and Income-Driven Repayment seems to have helped borrowers.
A press release from the Department of Education in October 2024, announced new rules proposed by the Biden-Harris Administration. If approved, the rules would relieve loans for “approximately 8 million borrowers experiencing hardship.” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona signalled support.
For far too long, our broken student loan system has made it too hard for borrowers experiencing heartbreaking and financially devastating hardships to access relief, and it’s not right.
Secretary Miguel Cardona, Department of Education Press Release, 2024
Trump and whoever he may appoint as Secretary of Education (if the position continues to exist), would be able to get rid of PSLF and approve fewer people for loan forgiveness. If the department is dissolved, decisions could be under the discretion of the Treasury Department. Then the incentive to collect repayments may be a priority.
Borrower’s Concerns
Nicole Bazarian participated in her vocational technical high school’s medical program. She received her undergraduate degree in Nursing from Regis College, where Bazarian said tuition was $65,000 her first year. Bazarian told Trill Magazine that she worked as a nursing assistant and received scholarships, but came out with many federal student loans. Abolishing the Department of Education could have the U.S. “end up with a pretty significant educational barrier,” Bazarian added.
I think a lot of first-generation students won’t be able to afford school anymore. I think all school is to expensive at this point, and that is alarming because it’s definitely going to be a challenge for more and more people to afford it.
Nicole Bazarian, 2025
In Bazarian’s opinion, people will face a “catch-22”. Between owning a house and working, or going to college and ending up in debt. She added that filling out the FAFSA and student loan disbursement is “complicated” and “not straightforward.” Dissolving the department would not improve that issue.
The more confusion we add to the process, I think the worse off people are going to be … School is definitely not a cheap adventure anymore.
Bazarian, 2025
Megan Ogden, is a University of New Hampshire alumna. She shared in an interview with Trill that she and her boyfriend find it difficult to buy a house with student loans “hanging over” her. She could not qualify for student debt relief or the loan repayment pause after graduating during the 2020 pandemic.
Even with in-state tuition and assistance from her grandparents, Ogden said her Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering was still costly. Ogden said that she hopes closing the Department of Education could be a benefit to students by decreasing tuition. But she remains unsure.
I think college is definitely not affordable and it’s not very open to people that are less fortunate and can’t take on the burden of student loans or feel comfortable with that burden.
Megan Ogden, 2025
