Executive Order 13864: Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities
President: Donald J. Trump
Directed education agencies to account for free inquiry and legal compliance in certain grant decisions and to expand public information about college outcomes. Later rules and grant terms determine practical effect.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13864 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13864 remains in use for federal higher-education funding. The Department of Transportation’s November 4, 2025 University Transportation Centers grant provisions expressly apply its free-inquiry requirements to recipients and subrecipients. See DOT University Transportation Centers Grant General Provisions (opens in a new tab).
What does Executive Order 13864 do?
EO 13864 instructed agencies to ensure that institutions receiving federal research or education funds respected applicable free-inquiry principles.
Later evidence reviewed September 24, 2026: The Education Department issued a final rule rescinding gainful-employment regulations and said it planned to expand program-level College Scorecard data in accordance with EO 13864. The rule is a specific later action; the stated data expansion was still a plan in that notice. Education Department gainful-employment final rule.
Before and after
Before the order
Federal research and education funding followed existing laws and agency rules.
After the order
The Education Department issued a final rule rescinding gainful-employment regulations and said it planned to expand program-level College Scorecard data in accordance with EO 13864. The rule is a specific later action; the stated data expansion was still a plan in that notice.
Who had to do what
| Agency / official | What the signed order directed | Deadline / timing |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary of Defense | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of the Interior | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of Agriculture | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of Commerce | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of Labor | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of Health and Human Services | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of Transportation | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of Energy | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| EPA Administrator | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| NSF Director | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| NASA Administrator | Coordinate with the OMB Director on appropriate steps to ensure institutions receiving covered federal research or education grants promote free inquiry consistent with applicable law. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| Secretary of Education | Participate in the free-inquiry grant measures. Expand College Scorecard program-level earnings, loan debt, and repayment/default data, including Parent PLUS information; provide borrowers secure access to debt, payment, repayment-option, and enrollment information. Submit risk-sharing and default-collection recommendations in consultation with Treasury, OMB, and, for risk sharing, the Council of Economic Advisers. Publish research on successful transfer-credit, dual-enrollment, and completion practices. | Borrower website/mobile application and both presidential reports by January 1, 2020; College Scorecard updates annually; progress reports to the National Council for the American Worker annually beginning July 1, 2019; research within one year. |
| Secretary of the Treasury | On Education’s request, supply timely program-level earnings statistics for the College Scorecard; consult on the risk-sharing and default-collection reports. | Timely provision on request; reports due January 1, 2020. |
| OMB Director | Coordinate covered agencies’ free-inquiry measures and consult on Education’s risk-sharing and default-collection reports. | Education reports due January 1, 2020. |
| Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers | Consult with Education on recommendations for sharing student-loan financial risk between the government and institutions. | Report due January 1, 2020. |
Source: Signed Federal Register text.
What happened next
EO 13864 signed; its Federal Register publication followed.
The Education Department issued a final rule rescinding gainful-employment regulations and said it planned to expand program-level College Scorecard data in accordance with EO 13864. The rule is a specific later action; the stated data expansion was still a plan in that notice.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Register record identifies EO 13864, its title and signing date. The Education Department issued a final rule rescinding gainful-employment regulations and said it planned to expand program-level College Scorecard data in accordance with EO 13864. The rule is a specific later action; the stated data expansion was still a plan in that notice. The linked source supports this particular later event; it does not establish every present legal or operational effect.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 24, 2026. How we research →