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The Trump administration has been accused of cynically pitting institutions?that educate ethnic minorities against one another in a ¡°hunger games¡±-style battle for funding.

The White House recently terminated $350 million (?262 million) in grants for minority-serving higher education institutions (MSIs), before announcing $500 million in funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).

Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, said the Trump administration has created a ¡°hostile environment¡± for many students of colour since?the president¡¯s?inauguration and undermined decades of progress toward racial equity in higher education.

Ending support for MSIs will impact those that serve large populations of Hispanic and black students and send a clear message that they matter less than students at wealthier, predominantly white institutions, she said.

Moving funding from the MSIs is a ¡°cynical ploy to curry favour¡± with some black constituents while pitting those on the losing side against the HBCUs, she alleged.?

¡°This is a lose-lose proposition for all students of colour and the colleges that struggle to serve them well. Federal funding should not be the ¡®hunger games¡¯ in which some schools are enriched at the expense of others.¡±

The White House has said that enrolment-based MSIs are discriminatory and unconstitutional because they require colleges to admit a certain percentage of students from specific racial or ethnic backgrounds to qualify ¨C a claim?that has not been tested in court.

Trinity, one of only three private institutions in the US classed as both a predominantly black institution (PBI) as well as a Hispanic serving institution (HSI), has used modest funding over the past decade to significantly improve student outcomes.

¡°Our black and Latina students now feel let down, disrespected and even fearful of what might come next from an administration that has exhibited nothing but contempt for them,¡± added McGuire.

McGuire called for chronically underfunded HBCUs to turn down the money. But the United Negro College Fund, which represents 37 private HBCUs, said the additional funding could be used for property acquisition, construction, campus maintenance, laboratory equipment, faculty support and student services.

In another blow to minority students, Harvard University recently announced it was ending its 50-year ethnic minority recruitment programme.

Bryan Cook, director of higher education policy at the Urban Institute, said the Trump administration¡¯s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives have led many campuses to end financial aid programmes for underrepresented students and to shut down DEI offices.

¡°These changes are likely to make it harder for colleges to enrol racially underrepresented students, though the full impact won¡¯t be clear until enrolment data for the 2025-26 academic year is available.¡±

In addition, many of the economic policies in Trump¡¯s One Big Beautiful Act are expected to hurt low-income families and make it harder for students of colour to afford college, he said.

A recent study in Texas found that the passage of a law banning DEI offices and services at public colleges was already impacting students. It showed that many underrepresented students had difficulty finding funding opportunities, greater concerns about racial discrimination, and fewer support systems to help them access and succeed in college.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com