The Trump Administration’s Proposed Budget Cuts to IES Threaten Education Research

Federal lawmakers have long recognized robust postsecondary data as a cornerstone of evidence-based higher education policymaking. For decades, investments in federal education research and data, primarily through the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), have enabled students and institutions nationwide, and policymakers on both sides of the aisle to make informed decisions and improve outcomes across higher education. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration’s FY2026 budget request threatens to harm the integrity of our education research and data system. 

The proposed cuts to IES, housed within the Department of Education, would leave the public without critical insights about what’s happening in higher education including how many students are struggling to afford college, who is completing, and whether those  degrees are delivering value. These cuts would also greatly weaken the agency responsible for producing data and research that informs consumer choices, policy, and practice. As the nation’s primary engine for education research, IES administers essential postsecondary data collections, such as the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). IPEDS serves as the foundation for tools like the College Scorecard, which enables students and families to compare costs, graduation rates, and student outcomes across thousands of colleges. NPSAS is the only nationally representative study that combines student interviews with administrative data to provide crucial information about how students finance their education.  

The IPEDS and NPSAS federal data collections provide unique insights and a level of scale, comprehensiveness, and accessibility unmatched by any other data sources. 

In FY 2024, Congress appropriated $870 million to support IES and sustained that funding level in FY 2025. This continued investment reflects longstanding, bipartisan recognition of the vital role IES plays in producing high-quality education research and data. In stark contrast, the Trump Administration’s FY 2026 budget proposal would slash IES funding by 67 percent, to $261 million. The proposal would eliminate the Statistics line, which supports core data collections by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), including IPEDS and NPSAS, and zeroes out funding for Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs), Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS), and the Research, Development, and Dissemination (RD&D).  

These proposed cuts follow earlier contract cancellations and staff reductions, with no clear plan for maintaining the agency’s essential work. While the Administration frames this move as an effort to “reimagine” IES, the result would be a dismantling of the federal education research and data infrastructure at a moment when students, families, and policymakers urgently need reliable evidence. 

Congress has repeatedly demonstrated its firm, bipartisan commitment to objective education data and research by funding IES across administrations. Now, lawmakers must once again affirm their commitment to evidence-based policymaking. Rather than weakening  IES, Congress should strengthen and protect it. The proposed cuts would erode decades of federal investment in education data and research. Students, institutions, educators policymakers, and researchers all depend on timely, accurate data to drive improvements and ensure policy is working as intended. Lawmakers must reject these harmful cuts and continue to prioritize investments that support student success.