DEI programs are designed to help white people too – here’s how

While diversity, equity and inclusion^[1] may on the surface seem focused on certain groups, in fact DEI programs benefit people from all walks of life – including white people.

President Donald Trump and other conservatives have increasingly attacked such initiatives as discriminatory^[2] based on the presumption that they benefit only students of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community^[3].

Most recently, Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, directing federal agencies, including the Department of Education, to eliminate support for DEI positions and projects^[4]. The order labels them “illegal and immoral discrimination” and “radical and wasteful.”

The impact of this sweeping order^[5] has been seismic^[6] across the U.S. government^[7], private sector^[8] and in education in particular^[9] as universities have begun eliminating or rebranding^[10] their DEI programs and the Department of Education has removed any initiative and even any document or material that referenced diversity, equity or inclusion.

As professors of education^[11] who have studied DEI programs^[12] in higher education, we believe these attacks represent a misconception about which groups DEI higher education programs actually support. The reality is, DEI policies help a wide range of people access and succeed in college regardless of their racial or ethnic background.

Breaking down DEI funding by race

It’s a challenge to determine the exact percentages of federal DEI funding allocated to groups of students broken down by race and ethnicity. There is limited publicly available data.

Broadly speaking, a large majority of people^[13] within most racial and ethnic groups receive some kind of federal funding – some of which is connected to DEI programs. That includes 81% of Black students, 74% of American Indian/Alaska Native students, 72% of Hispanic or Latino students, 70% of white students, and 66% of Asian students, according to a 2023 report from the National Center for Education Statistics based on data during the 2019-20 academic year.

The center’s data does not indicate whether those grants were explicitly designated for DEI initiatives. For example, Pell Grants are need-based, but not explicitly DEI.

That said, DEI initiatives encompass a broad range of programs that support various underrepresented groups^[14], including first-generation college students and students with disabilities^[15]. They also benefit women^[16] and veterans^[17]. Each of these groups invariably includes many white students^[18].

First-generation students

At most universities, a portion of DEI funding is dedicated to programs designed to support the success^[20] of first-generation students, or students whose parents did not graduate from college.

DEI initiatives enhance^[21] first-generation students’ academic success by addressing their unique challenges, such as financial constraints, cultural adjustments and unfamiliarity with college environments. They do this through tailored support programs^[22], inclusive learning communities and mentorship opportunities.

Research shows that first-generation students are likely to adopt what psychologists call performance avoidance goals^[23] – such as the fear of looking incompetent – so they play it safe and don’t try too hard, which can hinder their academic success. But DEI efforts such as faculty engagement programs and dorm communities that mix academics and social support help foster supportive environments that mitigate those challenges^[24].

National data shows that 56% of college students are first-generation attendees^[25]. White students represent 46%^[26] of that group, more than any other single race.

Students with disabilities

People with disabilities make up the largest minority group in America^[27] – and represent a growing share of college students^[28].

Disability access is a vital yet often overlooked component of DEI efforts, with 20.5% of undergraduate students reporting a disability^[29]. Many institutions address this through disability services^[30], which ensure students receive such appropriate testing accommodations as extended exam times, classroom support and access to assistive technology.

Accommodations for individuals with both sensory and physical disabilities are universally accepted and ensure access to everyone^[31] regardless of their ability. DEI initiatives, particularly those focusing on accessibility and support services, play a pivotal role in ensuring students with disabilities^[32] have equal opportunities to succeed.

Given that disabilities affect people from every ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic background, the erasure of DEI programs that support them hurts all groups – and that includes white people, who made up 21.1% of all undergraduate students with disabilities^[33] in the 2019-20 academic year.

We believe it is particularly critical to fund programs that include students with disabilities because, in the past, public providers did not create equitable opportunities^[34] for all.

Before the passage of key legislation such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973^[35] and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990^[36], students with disabilities were often excluded from mainstream educational settings or received inadequate support. Even since those laws were enacted, enforcement has been inconsistent, and gaps in accessibility persist today^[37].

Women and veterans

In addition to those two groups, DEI programs also target women and veterans.

For women, who make up more than half of college students^[38], they promote equity in male-dominated fields^[39] such as science, technology, engineering and math, and leadership roles^[40] in government, academia and the private sector.

For veterans, DEI programs provide tailored resources^[41] like academic support, mental health services and career transition assistance that recognize the unique challenges^[42] some of them face in higher education.

The GI Bill, which provides financial assistance to veterans pursuing higher education, has also gotten caught up in Trump’s DEI purge. While it wasn’t designed back in 1944 as a DEI initiative – and has often failed to ensure equitable access for Black veterans^[43] – the Department of Veterans Affairs has recently tried to provide targeted support^[44] to veterans of diverse backgrounds. Trump’s order ended those programs^[45].

While veterans make up only 6% of undergraduate students^[46], the majority of them – about 60% – are white, with 16% Black, 14% Hispanic and 3% Asian.

Close to home

Collectively, those groups and others have benefited from the over US$1 billion in grants the Education Department^[47] has allocated to DEI programs since 2021.

Diversity encompasses a lot more than just race, and that’s why DEI programs are intended to benefit a broad range of people who historically have been underrepresented at universities or have lacked support.

For both of us, the end of these types of programs hits close to home. One of us is white, and one of us is Black, but we’ve both benefited from DEI initiatives aimed at first-generation college students and women.

We also both have family members who are veterans or who have disabilities and who have received financial support and resources that made a significant difference in their ability to go to college.

Most American families – even if they don’t realize it – can tell a similar story of how programs aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion helped them achieve the American dream.

Trump’s order describes DEI programs as “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” and says Americans deserve “a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect.”

In our view, the orders are more likely to have the opposite effect.

References

1. ^{^} diversity, equity and inclusion (theconversation.com)
2. ^{^} as discriminatory (www.cnn.com)
3. ^{^} LGBTQ+ community (www.nea.org)
4. ^{^} eliminate support for DEI positions and projects (www.whitehouse.gov)
5. ^{^} impact of this sweeping order (apnews.com)
6. ^{^} has been seismic (www.fiercehealthcare.com)
7. ^{^} across the U.S. government (www.nbcnews.com)
8. ^{^} private sector (abcnews.go.com)
9. ^{^} in education in particular (www.highereddive.com)
10. ^{^} have begun eliminating or rebranding (apnews.com)
11. ^{^} professors of education (www.teal.msstate.edu)
12. ^{^} have studied DEI programs (www.teal.msstate.edu)
13. ^{^} a large majority of people (nces.ed.gov)
14. ^{^} support various underrepresented groups (scholars.org)
15. ^{^} students with disabilities (www.forbes.com)
16. ^{^} benefit women (www.forbes.com)
17. ^{^} veterans (news.va.gov)
18. ^{^} many white students (race.usc.edu)
19. ^{^} AP Photo/Darron Cummings (newsroom.ap.org)
20. ^{^} designed to support the success (www.firstgenforward.org)
21. ^{^} DEI initiatives enhance (diversity.umich.edu)
22. ^{^} tailored support programs (www.doi.org)
23. ^{^} performance avoidance goals (doi.org)
24. ^{^} mitigate those challenges (www.doi.org)
25. ^{^} 56% of college students are first-generation attendees (firstgen.naspa.org)
26. ^{^} White students represent 46% (www.diverseeducation.com)
27. ^{^} largest minority group in America (www.npr.org)
28. ^{^} growing share of college students (nces.ed.gov)
29. ^{^} 20.5% of undergraduate students reporting a disability (nces.ed.gov)
30. ^{^} disability services (www.higheredtoday.org)
31. ^{^} universally accepted and ensure access to everyone (www.washington.edu)
32. ^{^} students with disabilities (www.ed.gov)
33. ^{^} 21.1% of all undergraduate students with disabilities (nces.ed.gov)
34. ^{^} equitable opportunities (adata.org)
35. ^{^} Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (askearn.org)
36. ^{^} Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (www.ada.gov)
37. ^{^} persist today (adata.org)
38. ^{^} half of college students (www.forbes.com)
39. ^{^} male-dominated fields (www.cbsnews.com)
40. ^{^} leadership roles (teamwomenmn.org)
41. ^{^} tailored resources (www.insightintodiversity.com)
42. ^{^} unique challenges (www.benefits.va.gov)
43. ^{^} failed to ensure equitable access for Black veterans (www.nber.org)
44. ^{^} has recently tried to provide targeted support (www.washingtonpost.com)
45. ^{^} order ended those programs (news.va.gov)
46. ^{^} make up only 6% of undergraduate students (www.nu.edu)
47. ^{^} US$1 billion in grants the Education Department (nypost.com)