Trump Offers Funding to Universities for Adopting Political Agenda

Trump Offers Funding to Universities for Adopting Political Agenda

The Trump administration has proposed a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” to nine top US universities, offering expanded federal funding in exchange for compliance with its political priorities.

Among the universities approached are MIT, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, USC, Brown, and University of Virginia. The 10-page draft outlines conditions affecting admissions, free speech, women’s sports, student discipline, affordability, and gender policies. Universities would also need to reinstate mandatory SAT or ACT testing and adopt the government’s definition of gender in campus facilities and athletics.

The incentives include substantial grants, higher overhead payments, and opportunities for institutions to influence the compact’s final language before the November 21 deadline. Provisions also include capping international enrollment at 15 percent, freezing tuition for five years, and requiring wealthy schools to waive tuition for US science students.

Reactions are mixed:

  • University of Virginia is reviewing the proposal.

  • Texas system regents welcomed the offer.

  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to withdraw state funding from schools that sign the compact, emphasizing protection of academic freedom.

Critics argue the compact threatens higher education independence. Ted Mitchell, head of the American Council on Education, called it a “Faustian bargain,” while Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary, warned it “tries to fix a watch with a hammer.”

The proposal signals a shift from prior strategies of punishing institutions accused of liberal bias, now offering funding incentives tied to political compliance, raising concerns over the autonomy of elite US universities.

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