As deadline for Trump’s colleges compact looms, schools signal dissent - NPR
Original story by: NPR
Last updated: Oct 20, 2025
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- Context: A handful of U.S. universities were offered preferential access to federal funds in exchange for agreeing to a list of commitments aligning with the Trump administration's political priorities. This "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" included requirements such as barring transgender individuals from certain facilities and sports, freezing tuition, limiting international student enrollment, and mandating standardized tests for admissions.
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- Detailed Summary:
- The compact, proposed on October 1st to nine universities (both public and private), aimed to link federal funding to adherence to specific policies.
- Key proposed commitments included prohibiting transgender individuals from using restrooms or participating in sports according to their gender identity, implementing a five-year tuition freeze, restricting international student numbers, and requiring standardized admissions tests.
- As of Sunday night, six out of the original nine invited schools had indicated they would not sign the agreement.
- MIT was the first to publicly reject the compact, citing disagreement with its principles and stating that scientific funding should be based solely on scientific merit.
- Following MIT's rejection, President Trump suggested that all colleges, not just those initially contacted, could sign on.
- Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California also issued statements declining the offer.
- The White House held a virtual meeting with remaining universities, including the University of Arizona, the University of Texas at Austin, Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Virginia, as well as invited Arizona State University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Kansas.
- Despite the meeting, the University of Virginia and Dartmouth College subsequently announced their decisions not to sign.
- Dartmouth's president stated that a compact with any administration was not the appropriate method to achieve academic excellence.
- The University of Virginia emphasized a desire for federal funding based on merit alone, arguing that contractual arrangements based on other criteria would undermine research integrity and confidence in higher education.
- The University of Virginia noted that while they agreed with many of the compact's principles, they rejected a contractual arrangement based on anything other than merit, and had previously faced pressure from the Trump administration regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
- The White House did not provide a comment on future plans for the compact, attributing a lack of response to staff shortages due to a government shutdown and blaming Democrats.
- Since President Trump took office, the administration has reportedly canceled significant federal research grants to universities over issues including transgender policies, DEI programs, and antisemitism on campus.
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