The Department of Education Layoffs' Affect on Higher Education

By: Itzel Vela

On March 11, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education announced a reduction-in-force (RIF) that laid off nearly 50% of its workforce. While some chose to resign or retire on their own, the rest were forced to leave. This termination of staff brings up an interesting question: how will it affect higher education? Will it affect Wilbur Wright’s students? 

Fortunately, President Dr. Andrés Oroz provided updates regarding Wright's status among these changes.

Regarding the implications for Wright’s financial aid at Wright, Oroz noted, "The Department of Education has assured us that the federal financial aid processing would not be impacted whatsoever. We have not heard any other details, so at this point, we're just going with the department's information."

As reported by City Cast Chicago, a news podcast, as of April 14, students from at least 18 Illinois schools, including DePaul University, Northeastern Illinois University, and Northwestern University, have had their student visas revoked, resulting in lawsuits. 

Illinois universities that focus on research have been facing more financial challenges compared to community colleges. (Illustration by: Itzel Vela)

However, Oroz noted that no issues have been reported regarding student visas here at Wright and that, as of April 25, 2025, the Department of Education is reversing some restrictions.

“So things continue to change all the time. I just got the message that that is happening, so we'll need to look at it closely. But according to our sources, the Trump administration reverses the abrupt termination of foreign student U.S. visa registrations,” Oroz said. 

President Oroz highlighted the challenges that many research universities face, which rely on federal funding. “We focus on teaching. We don't focus on research; we focus on supporting students through degree services.”

President Oroz affirmed that Wright is monitoring the situation and how it impacts the Department of Education, specifically the post-secondary education department they work with the most. 

"If anything happens, if we find out that there's any direct feedback on our students, we will notify our students and the plan of action, if possible, to ensure that there's no destruction of services provided to our students,” Oroz reassured.