Seven Universities Reject Trump's Academic Compact Citing Freedom Concerns

The Trump administration has proposed a "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" to nine major universities, offering increased federal funding for compliance with policies including tuition freezes, limits on international student enrollment, and restrictions on the use of race, gender, and ethnicity in admissions and hiring. Seven universities, including MIT, Brown, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Arizona, have rejected the compact, citing concerns over academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and merit-based research funding. The University of Texas and Vanderbilt University have not fully declined, with Vanderbilt expressing reservations and signaling further feedback. The compact also mandates dismantling units that criticize conservative ideas and threatens the loss of federal funds—and potentially private donations—for non-compliance. Student protests at the University of Arizona and widespread faculty opposition highlight fears that the compact constitutes a dangerous federal overreach undermining free speech and university independence. Experts warn the proposal could damage America's higher education quality and stifle the marketplace of ideas crucial to academic creativity.