The United States, historically revered as a global vanguard in education and research, is now facing critical scrutiny for establishing a disturbing precedent. A recent report by Scholars at Risk (SAR) reveals that the actions taken by the Trump administration against universities are effectively transforming the nation into a ‘blueprint for dismantling’ academic freedom worldwide.
‘We are witnessing an unprecedented situation, truly unparalleled in history, where a global leader in education and research is voluntarily dismantling the very advantages it once championed,’ stated Robert Quinn, Executive Director of SAR, in the report.
Mounting Pressure on Campuses
In just the first half of 2025, SAR’s ‘Free to Think’ report documented approximately 40 distinct incidents across the United States that directly challenged academic freedom. These ranged from the revocation of crucial research funds to the detention and attempted deportation of international scholars based on their political viewpoints.
The report underscores a significant increase in executive and legislative measures designed to target diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Concurrently, there’s been a tightening grip of government control over university admissions, hiring processes, research initiatives, and teaching methodologies. This represents a marked shift from 2024, when most pressures emanated from state and local authorities. Following Donald Trump’s re-election, the federal government has assumed an increasingly assertive role in dictating higher education policy.
The Global Ramifications
Between mid-2024 and mid-2025, the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project documented 395 assaults on leaders, faculty, staff, and students within higher education across 49 countries. These alarming incidents encompassed arrests, legal prosecutions, travel bans, dismissals, and even targeted killings.
Beyond its own borders, SAR highlighted troubling trends in 15 other nations. In Bangladesh, student-led anti-government protests were met with violent suppression, resulting in an estimated 1,400 fatalities. Similarly, in Serbia, authorities withheld salaries and funding from faculty members who dared to support anti-corruption movements.
‘The landscape for academic freedom has contracted at an accelerating pace over the past decade,’ the report concludes. It warns that even established democracies, boasting robust institutional frameworks, are seeing elected leaders employ both democratic mechanisms and, at times, extralegal measures to undermine the autonomy of their universities.
A Shifting Political Justification
The ongoing conflict in Gaza and the subsequent campus protests have amplified scrutiny on US universities. SAR observes that these events have been weaponized as a pretext to penalize students and academics whose perspectives deviate from government positions.
‘Pressure on the higher education sector has been ongoing for decades,’ Quinn noted. Prior to the current wave of actions, universities faced political backlash over contentious subjects like critical race theory and gender studies. ‘However, there is no doubt that the administration is now using allegations of antisemitism, centered on the Palestinian issue, as a bold pretext to justify, in many instances, extralegal activities to suppress independent thought.’
The Federal Pivot
The report pinpoints Trump’s return to power as a pivotal moment. Within his administration’s first 75 days, over 30 pieces of legislation impacting higher education were introduced. Executive orders swiftly dismantled diversity and gender equity programs, while federal investigations into alleged antisemitism spanned more than 60 universities, often bypassing established procedural safeguards.
Furthermore, the administration froze billions of dollars in federal research funds, imposed new limitations on student loans, and tightened eligibility criteria for Pell Grants. These collective actions, SAR contends, have severely disrupted both academic operations and equitable student access.
Impact Beyond Borders
The report also emphasizes the international ripple effects stemming from US policy changes. The cancellation of international student visas, the implementation of stricter admission rules for foreign applicants, and substantial cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have collectively hindered education and research initiatives from Africa to Afghanistan.
For an organization that once passionately advocated for the global exchange of knowledge, these recent actions signify a profound reversal of values and objectives.
A Critical Juncture for US Academia
For many decades, American higher education served as a global standard-bearer for openness and rigorous critical inquiry. Scholars at Risk now issues a dire warning that these very foundational principles are eroding from within.
If the world’s most influential academic system begins to curtail intellectual independence, the report suggests, the far-reaching consequences will undoubtedly extend well beyond its national borders, impacting the global academic community as a whole.