President Trump on Monday said he’s weighing whether to redirect $3 billion in grant money for Harvard University to trade schools across the U.S., but education experts say that process faces significant obstacles. 

Mr. Trump’s comment, which was made on social media, comes as he escalates his attacks on the Ivy League school. Last week, the Trump administration moved to block Harvard from enrolling international students, and the president has taken other steps to freeze billions of dollars in Harvard’s federal funding, as he claims the institution has not done enough to address anti-semitism on its campus. 

On Tuesday, the Trump administration wrote in a letter that all federal agencies should consider canceling their government contracts with Harvard, or move them to other organizations. 

Research universities apply for federal grants in a competitive process, with the money awarded for specific purposes, such as scientific research. That includes having the necessary faculty, researchers and other staff on hand to conduct the research, as well as laboratories or other facilities that are needed to complete the project. 

For instance, one recent National Science Foundation grant awarded to Harvard is for research into “a complexity theoretic lens on near- and medium-term quantum devices,” with the proposal describing the project as aiming to “grapple with present-day challenges in quantum computing.” 

By contrast, trade schools offer hands-on vocational training in fields ranging from cosmetology to plumbing, and typically don’t undertake the type of research that is funded by agencies such as the NSF and National Institutes of Health, experts told CBS MoneyWatch. 

“It is both illegal and unrealistic as a proposal, and it’s the sort of thing that a responsible administration shouldn’t be saying,” Jon Fansmith, senior vice president of the American Council on Education (ACE), a non-profit representing higher education institutions, told CBS MoneyWatch. 

He added, “The money that has been awarded to Harvard is awarded because they competitively applied for, and were awarded, scientific research funding, which is what it overwhelmingly is.” 

While other schools, including those that operate trade programs, can apply for similar grants, Harvard’s money can’t simply be funneled to another recipient, he said.

Do trade schools get federal grants?

Trade schools, which can be either for- or non-profit, typically offer certificates or associate degrees rather than the bachelor’s, master’s and PhDs offered by universities such as Harvard. 

Although a trade school could apply for and win a grant or contract for services that it’s equipped to provide the government, they generally don’t have the faculty, staff or facilities to undertake scientific or medical research, Albany Law School Professor Raymond Brescia told CBS MoneyWatch.

“I don’t see how trade schools could apply for or get grants from the NSF or NIH,” he said. “There are rules around government procurement and awarding grants to the applicants that are best-positioned to provide the services that the government seeks.”

Mr. Trump did not identify any institutions that might receive Harvard’s grant funding beyond referring to them as “trade schools.”

Different focuses

If Mr. Trump wanted to redirect funding, he’d likely have to follow a prescribed process, according to
experts. 

“You can’t, as president, simply take money that Congress has directed for a certain purpose and say, ‘I am going to spend it somewhere else’,” Fansmith said. “You need some basis for giving it to other schools.”

More specifically, the Trump administration would need to provide evidence that Harvard’s grants were not awarded based on merit, according to Brescia. “Then there are avenues that the government can take in the future to ensure it follows its own procurement rules better. But I haven’t heard anyone allege any awards to Harvard were improperly given to them,” he added.

A range of schools that offer trade programs compete for federal grants. For example, LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York, part of the City University of New York, in 2023 received more than $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor to enhance its vocational training offerings across electrical, plumbing, HVAC and similar fields. 

But such schools don’t generally conduct the type of academic and scientific research that qualifies for the federal grants awarded to institutions like Harvard.

“Private trade schools and community colleges don’t do that stuff, so he couldn’t redirect the same academic responsibility from Harvard to a trade school,” Jason Altmire, CEO of Career Education Colleges and Universities, a group representing 800 private postsecondary career schools, told CBS MoneyWatch.

Altmire said his group’s organizations don’t typically receive any federal funding for academic or scientific research, while noting that trade schools would welcome additional government support and financial aid for students. But such assistance is unlikely to come in the form of grants from the NIH or NSF, he said. 

“They could fund apprenticeships and support students so they have access to career schools,” Altmire said. “There are appropriate ways the federal government can support the work of trade schools, both private and public, and we would be excited about that.”