What are Trump’s new rules for universities to qualify for federal funding?
Key Takeaways
- The US government demanded nine universities comply with new standards to gain preferential access to federal funding.
- The demands include eliminating race/sex considerations in admissions, capping foreign enrollment at 15%, and freezing tuition for five years.
- Universities must ensure a 'vibrant marketplace of ideas' by abolishing departments that 'belittle' conservative viewpoints.
- The nine selected institutions include MIT, Brown University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Pennsylvania.
- The memo has not been publicly announced by the White House, and universities are currently reviewing the terms.
Nine major US universities, including MIT, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania, have received a confidential memo from the US government outlining strict conditions for receiving 'preferential access' to federal funds. The 10-point agreement, titled “A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” mandates several sweeping policy changes across admissions, curriculum, and finance. Key requirements involve race- and sex-neutral admissions, mandatory standardized testing for all applicants, limiting international undergraduate enrollment to 15%, and eliminating departments that suppress conservative ideas. Furthermore, universities must freeze tuition for five years and share graduate earnings data publicly. While the White House has not publicly announced the memo, universities are beginning their review, with some, like the University of Texas, expressing enthusiasm for the potential funding advantages, while critics have already begun to condemn the demands.
