Donald Trump’s college reform ideas are surprisingly good

The Trump campaign is touting its higher education approach as a “revolutionary” change for students and colleges. Unlike his other exaggerated ideas, his ideas for education could prompt significant improvement.

Though Trump’s education platform hasn’t been completed, it has the opportunity to launch deep reforms in the student loan industry and hold colleges accountable for student outcomes.

“Many of the ideas on which the Trump campaign is working involve a complete overhaul of the federal student loan system, moving the government out of lending and restoring that role to private banks, as was the case before President Clinton partially and President Obama fully shifted loan origination from private lenders to the government,” according to Inside Higher Ed.

The Trump approach is led by Sam Clovis, the campaign’s policy director and a professor at Morningside College in Iowa.

Clovis suggested student loan should be viewed as a “partnership” among the student, the bank, and the college, rather than student aid from the government and parental funding.