The New Republic is reporting that college majors like social work, art, and music will be hardest hit when President Donald Trump bans students majoring in degrees that will never pay off from taking out college loans.
Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. https://t.co/6tV30STfyc
— The New Republic (@newrepublic) September 28, 2026
While the Trump administration is framing the policy as “accountability” for higher education, and some are welcoming the move, others see it as an attack on those whose work is important regardless of salary.
— The New Republic (@newrepublic) September 28, 2026
Good
— 🍹 Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock (@kimmie_c_) September 28, 2026
Totally the right move. It's wrong to push a 19-year-old to take out $60k in loans for a job that pays $45k/year.
— Matt Cover (@MattCover) September 28, 2026
If schools want to subsidize these degrees, they should hold the loan.
There are a couple of pending Community Notes to go along with The New Republic's post:
No one is banned from majoring in what they want but student loans are cut off if graduates make less than someone without a college degree. It's designed to keep colleges from profiting off of low-value programs.
New Republic praised a very similar move by Obama.
Malcolm Ferguson reports:
The Education Department intends to use IRS data to determine students’ salaries four years after they graduate and compare them to those of people similar in age who just have high school diplomas. If they’re below that baseline, that degree will be ineligible for loans.
“We need social workers,” American Council on Education Ted Mitchell told the Times. “Whether it’s the fentanyl epidemic or homelessness in L.A., we need people who can work on the street with people who need it the most.”
Even some on the right are concerned.
“The government shouldn’t punish people who pursue socially valuable callings just because in its judgment they don’t earn enough money,” said Gregory Baylor, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian nonprofit that the Southern Poverty Law Center lists as a designated hate group.
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Or, we could just get the government out of the student loan business entirely.
It is a policy not to INVEST in an education that cannot provide a ROI that ensures repayment. It is not a ban. Students can fund their high risk choices.
— Constance Crane 🇺🇸 (@TrackingFires) September 28, 2026
Good business sense has seldom been a factor in federal policy written by wonks and politicians chasing votes.
Which is fucking fantastic because if your chosen degree is going to cost $150k, but only pay $45k then its a really stupid choice that Little Miss "I have a degree in Womens Studies" will demand taxpayers bail her out of when she realizes she'll never make enough to pay it back.
— Shashi (@shashigalore) September 28, 2026
Not entirely accurate, it only applies to federal loans. There is no bar to private loans, state programs, scholarships, tuition waivers etc. This was going to happen one way or the other in the current economic environment.
— Browsus Maximus (@DadlyDoNothing) September 28, 2026
Lefties come out hard in support of predatory lending.
— QTheLibertine (@QTheLibertine) September 28, 2026
I've literally been calling for this for a decade. Or more.
— HitmanGFX (@HitmanGFX44) September 28, 2026
Seems like he's doing the folks a favor.
— Scott McKay (@TheHayride) September 28, 2026
GOOD! Those degrees are a bad investment. the borrower will NEVER repay the debt. If they want to gain degrees in such things, they should as artists and researchers have in the past, gain scholarship from sponsors. not force taxpayers to cover the bill.
— Rani, Last of The Red Hot Boomers (@ShadesOfRani) September 28, 2026
Hes banning US taxpayers from being on the hook for you liberal arts degree because you can't pay it back with your part time fast food job.
— Ben (@AerospaceBen88) September 28, 2026
Probably the first sensible policy I’ve seen come out of this administration. The federal government’s “blank check” policy for student loans has done nothing but increased the costs of education and produced a suite of worthless degrees
— Michael Toth (@stmic) September 28, 2026
Thank god!!!! Finally we are going to fix the broken education which serves only to enrich universities while burdening students with loans that permanently anchor them with debt they can never pay back.
— Mike Barba (@MichaelBarba) September 28, 2026
This will dramatically reduce the price of education.
Good. Banks do the same thing with people who are unlendable.
— Mick In RI🇺🇸 (@MickInTheIsland) September 28, 2026
Make your case to a loan officer at a bank that a $100,000+ loan for a degree in gender studies is a good risk.
Totally agree with this. I also think that individual colleges and universities should lose their lose their eligibility to receive taxpayer funded student loan money if their graduates have a default rate over a certain threshold.
— Sarah 🥨 (@cosmopterix) September 28, 2026
A lot of people in the comments never heard of Biden's 2023 "Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment" policy and it shows.
— Vlogging Through History (@VTHistory25) September 28, 2026
No one is banning people from taking out loans. They are saying the government won’t subsidize you studying worthless degrees. You are welcome to get a personal loan.
— Kate (@trinnas) September 28, 2026
Why is it that no one ever holds universities responsible for charging what they do for tuition and raising it each year? Some have suggested making the universities issue the loans. They're going to want to be paid back.
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