Universities Reject a Federal Funding Compact

At the start of October 2025 the White House circulated a document called the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education that sought formal commitments from a small group of leading colleges. The compact, which was sent to nine institutions on October 1, proposed a package of changes — including a five‑year tuition freeze, limits on international undergraduate enrollment, and a requirement that standardized tests be used for admissions — in exchange for preferential federal funding. The administration framed the compact as a way to strengthen academic standards and campus debate, but legal scholars and many faculty members argued that its provisions could undermine institutional autonomy and raise constitutional problems.

Several universities have weighed the offer and then publicly refused it. MIT issued a formal rejection on October 10; Brown followed with a letter on October 15; the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California sent notices on October 16; and the University of Virginia declined on October 17. These institutions have given written feedback to the Department of Education and emphasized that research funding and hiring should be decided by merit and independent review. Faculty senates, student groups, and professional associations have mobilized to press leaders to protect academic freedom.

The White House set an October 20 deadline for responses and has suggested that institutions that do not sign might forgo federal benefits linked to the compact. Nevertheless no university has accepted the offer so far. Observers note that if federal funding were conditioned on sweeping governance changes, colleges could face new pressures on hiring, curriculum, and research agendas, and those changes could be tested in courts and legislatures.