President-elect Donald Trump plans to assist the nation’s population without a college degree by creating the online “American Academy” which would make higher education available to all U.S. citizens for free.
Data published by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022 showed that in 2021, 8.9 percent of American adults age 25 and older had less than a high school diploma or equivalent while 27.9 percent had high school graduate as their highest level of school completed and 14.9 had completed some college but not a degree.
Trump said his administration will work to create a free, online higher education option for Americans that, once completed, will be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
In addition, the degree credentials awarded by the American Academy will be recognized by all U.S. government and federal contractors.
“The American Academy… will be a truly world-class education available to every American, free of charge, and do it without adding a single dime to the federal debt. This institution will gather an entire universe of the highest quality educational content, covering the full spectrum of human knowledge and skills, and make that material available to every American citizen online for free,” Trump explained in a campaign video posted in 2023.
Trump said the American Academy will offer courses in a wide range of fields, including the trades.
“Whether you want lectures or an ancient history or an introduction to financial accounting, or training in a skilled trade, the goal will be to deliver it and get it done properly, using study groups, mentors, industry partnerships, and the latest breakthrough in computing. This will be a truly top-tier education option for the people,” Trump said.
Trump further noted how the American Academy will be a resource for Americans who have completed some college, explaining how the online school “will grant credit for past coursework at legacy institutions and give you the chance to complete your education at the American Academy for free and much more quickly than is now possible or available.”
“This will be a revolution in higher education and will provide life-changing opportunities for tens of millions of our citizens,” Trump declared.
Trump said the American Academy will be funded by the “billions” his administration will collect by “taxing the large endowments of private universities plagued by antisemitism.”
“We spend more money on higher education than any other country, and yet they’re turning our students into Communists and terrorists and sympathizers of many, many different dimensions — we can’t let this happen. It’s time to offer something dramatically different…We will take the billions and billions of dollars that we will collect by taxing, fining, and suing excessively large private university endowments, and we will then use that money to endow…the American Academy,” Trump said.
Watch the full statement:
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
