U.S. Department of Education

A U.S. Department of Education rule change effective 2026-07-01 permits the department to deny PSLF loan forgiveness to borrowers whose government or nonprofit employers engage in activities with a 'substantial illegal purpose' and vests authority to define 'substantial illegal purpose' in the secretary of education.

Starting July 1, 2026, a federal proposal would cap student borrowing for professional degree programs at $50,000 per year with a $200,000 lifetime limit, and cap borrowing for graduate programs not deemed professional at $20,500 per year with a $100,000 lifetime limit.

The U.S. federal Title I program provides federal funding to elementary and secondary schools with large concentrations of low-income students.

The U.S. Department of Education administers grant programs and oversight functions related to elementary and secondary education, higher education, Native American education, international education programs, child care grants, and panels that review foreign medical schools.

Permanent reassignment or codification of a federal department's statutory responsibilities generally requires approval by the U.S. Congress, while agencies can administratively transfer or contract out some duties to other federal agencies.

The U.S. Department of Education serves as a conduit for billions of dollars in federal aid that flow to state and local education agencies.

The U.S. federal student loan portfolio is approximately $1.6 trillion and is managed by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a primary mechanism through which colleges and universities determine and provide financial aid packages to incoming students, and the U.S. Department of Education provides support for people completing the FAFSA.

The federal student loan portfolio managed by the U.S. Department of Education is approximately $1.6 trillion.

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) within the U.S. Department of Education administers programs that support students with disabilities, provides guidance to families, and oversees state compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Education enforces federal civil rights laws in education and investigates complaints from families alleging denial of special education services or other discrimination.

In 2025 the U.S. Department of Education under the Trump administration circulated a proposal called the 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education' that tied preferential access to federal grants to colleges' agreement to a list of policy commitments.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is the federal office responsible for overseeing programs that support students with disabilities, providing guidance to families and monitoring states for compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) designated four areas of national need for its FY2025 competitive grants program: promoting civil discourse, expanding the use of artificial intelligence, building capacity for high-quality short-term programs, and encouraging accreditation reform.

The Department of Education set seven priorities under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) for the FY2025 competition to support the identified national needs.

FIPSE planned to distribute $60 million in grants under a single absolute priority for the FY2025 competition that includes promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses.

Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is a federal program that provides financial assistance to local educational agencies and schools with high concentrations of children from low-income families to help ensure all children meet state academic standards.

The U.S. Department of Education enforces Title IX and can determine that state education policies violate Title IX, which can lead to requirements for states to amend those policies.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civil Rights are federal offices responsible for enforcing civil rights laws in education-related and health-related programs, respectively.

The U.S. Department of Education's magnet school grant program requires certification of civil rights compliance as a condition for grant participation.

The federal magnet school grant program requires certification of civil rights compliance as a condition for receiving funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

During the Trump administration, federal officials pursued enforcement actions against school district policies that allowed transgender students to use bathrooms or participate on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

Federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can conduct investigations and compliance reviews of universities for compliance with federal civil rights laws.

The federal Title I program provides federal funding, totaling billions of dollars, to support elementary and secondary schools with large numbers of low-income students.

The U.S. Department of Education administers special education grant programs and maintains an Office for Civil Rights responsible for enforcing civil rights in education.

Only the United States Congress has the authority to abolish the U.S. Department of Education.

The U.S. Department of Education has historically maintained interagency agreements with other federal departments and had dozens of such agreements prior to 2017.

The U.S. Department of Education's proposal defines a professional degree as one that 'signifies both completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession, and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor's degree' and lists pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry and theology as examples of professional degree programs.

The U.S. Department of Education stated that 95% of nursing students would not be impacted by the proposed borrowing cap and that enrolled students would be grandfathered into current lending limits to prevent barriers to completion.

The U.S. Department of Education's proposed definition of a 'professional degree' states that such a degree 'signifies both completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession, and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor's degree.'

Under the U.S. Department of Education's proposal, programs defined as professional degrees include pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, podiatry, and theology.