The Trump administration has introduced a sweeping new set of conditions for U.S. universities seeking federal support, drawing criticism from rights advocates and higher education leaders who warn the measures could jeopardize academic freedom.
On Wednesday, the White House circulated a 10-point memo to nine prominent universities, offering what it described as “multiple positive benefits,” including significant grant funding, if institutions agreed to the terms. The document, shared with Reuters, requires schools to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15 percent, ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, freeze tuition for five years, and require standardized testing for all applicants.
Other provisions go further, urging schools to foster “viewpoint diversity” by restructuring governance systems and “transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.” The memo also directs universities to share information about foreign students with federal agencies and to screen applicants for alignment with “American and Western values.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold federal funds from universities over issues ranging from pro-Palestinian protests to climate initiatives and diversity programs. He has accused higher education of harboring “anti-American” values and claims universities marginalize conservative viewpoints.
The new memo appears to escalate that campaign by tying federal support to adherence with the administration’s ideological framework. “No more than 15% of a university’s undergraduate student population shall be participants in the Student Visa Exchange Program, and no more than 5% shall be from any one country,” the memo states. Schools already above the threshold would be expected to meet the cap in incoming classes.
Letters outlining the agreement were sent to Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University, and the University of Virginia. The Wall Street Journal first reported the outreach.
The guidance comes amid ongoing federal probes into several universities. Columbia and Brown have already reached settlements with the government, with Columbia agreeing to pay more than $220 million and Brown committing $50 million for workforce development. Trump said earlier this week that a deal with Harvard University—potentially involving a $500 million payment—was close.
The Guardian reported that the initiative, labeled the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” effectively threatens all institutions that rely on federal support. It specifies that universities are free to pursue other models and values only if they relinquish federal funding streams altogether.
The reaction from higher education leaders has been wary. Cornell William Brooks, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, wrote on X that the compact is a “weapon to exert command and control.” Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, warned the implications for campus discourse were “horrifying.” He told the Wall Street Journal, “Who decides if the intellectual environment is vigorous and open-ended? This is not something the federal government should be involved in.”
Rights advocates have similarly raised alarms, pointing to due process and privacy concerns around the administration’s handling of international students, particularly those involved in pro-Palestinian activism. Several deportation attempts have already faced legal challenges.
While some universities may feel pressured to sign on for financial stability, critics argue the conditions could reshape the foundations of U.S. higher education. The balance between federal oversight, institutional autonomy, and the free exchange of ideas now appears more contested than ever.
