Arlington, VA (March 12, 2025) — The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), a non-profit organization comprised of more than 28,000 college admission counseling professionals nationwide and around the world, opposes the dismantling or elimination of the U.S. Department of Education. Doing so will create hardship and harm to the U.S. educational system that could last for generations.

“In order to realize NACAC’s vision that postsecondary education be accessible to all who seek it, we need a national commitment that strengthens, rather than weakens, our support for education,” said Angel B. Pérez, NACAC CEO. “Eliminating the Department of Education threatens to reverse more than 40 years of progress in college access, much of it made possible by federal programs such as student financial aid.”

On behalf of NACAC, Pérez sent a letter to the administration and Congress highlighting the importance of maintaining the Department of Education:

  • According to the Federal Reserve Bank’s Anchor Economy Initiative, higher education institutions and hospitals provide more than $1.7 trillion in economic benefits to the U.S economy. Individuals with a bachelor’s degree earn wages that are 65 percent higher than those with a high school diploma. According to the College Board, completion of a postsecondary degree correlates with more community engagement, increased political efficacy, and greater life satisfaction. The benefits to society include lower rates of incarceration, a larger tax base, and lower unemployment rates. 
  • The U.S. Department of Education occupies a critical role in supporting states, students, and families. Given the vast expanse of America’s educational landscape, including the interstate nature of postsecondary education and the essential enforcement of federal civil rights laws and laws protecting students with disabilities, the need for a centralized administration is what led to the establishment of the Department of Education as a cabinet-level agency.
  • Education is critical for America’s future and warrants recognition at the highest levels of government, even given the responsibility that states maintain for policymaking and funding. Eliminating the infrastructure of the department will make it orders of magnitude more difficult to administer programs and services that extend to all corners of American society, from pre-school to K-12 to higher education. This ultimately will threaten millions of students, educators, and families with unacceptable disruptions to their lives and well-being.

“The mass reduction in force and the administration’s continued intention to eliminate the Department of Education will invite untold hardship for our students, schools, and institutions and lead to devastating disruptions,” Pérez said.

Read NACAC’s letter to the new administration and Congress.

Take action and tell your representatives to support the Department of Education.