Key facts
- The Trump administration is encouraging nine universities to sign a "compact for excellence in higher education."
- The compact requires schools to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, freeze tuition for five years, and require standardized entrance exams.
- Participating universities would receive preferential access to federal funds.
- The latest letter from the administration omits some controversial demands from the original compact, such as enrollment caps and tuition freezes.
- Schools are asked to post their commitment statements on their websites by the end of 2026.
The Trump administration has asked leaders at nine prominent universities to sign a "compact for excellence in higher education," committing them to adopt President Donald Trump's policy agenda for higher education in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. The 10-point agreement would require participating schools to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15% of the student body, freeze tuition over the next five years, and require applicants to take standardized entrance exams like the SAT or ACT.
Universities would also need to adopt policies protecting the academic freedom of all viewpoints in the classroom, abolish "institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas," and exclude race, sex, and ethnicity as factors in admissions. The compact further demands that schools adopt "institutional neutrality," restricting professors and employees from expressing political views in debates affecting the schools, use strict definitions of men and women for sports and bathroom facilities, and require "conditions of civility" prohibiting disruptive demonstrations.
However, a more recent letter from the administration appears less restrictive, omitting controversial demands such as the 15% cap on international undergraduate enrollment and a five-year tuition freeze. This latest communication asks schools to post their commitment statements prominently on their websites before the end of 2026. The department did not immediately respond to questions about the consequences of participation or non-participation.
Critics, including Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, have slammed the compact as government overreach into academia and an affront to academic independence. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that California universities signing the compact would lose billions in state funding. The compact follows previous threats by Trump to withhold federal funding over issues such as pro-Palestinian protests, transgender policies, climate initiatives, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.