Following MIT’s rejection of the compact, the Trump administration has purportedly invited all US institutions to participate in the agreement which would grant preferential funding in return for a slew of commitments including DEI bans and a 15% cap on colleges’ international undergraduate students.
The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education was initially sent to nine top-tier universities, which were given a deadline of October 20 to respond.
A source close to the matter told Bloomberg News that the compact had been extended to all US colleges and universities, pressurising the entire system and threatening to create major funding schisms between institutions.
Several schools have also reportedly expressed interest in the agreement, according to the source, though no institutions were named.
“Higher Education has lost its way, and is now corrupting our Youth and Society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology,” Trump posted on social media, the day before the compact’s purported expansion.
“For those Institutions that want to quickly return to the pursuit of Truth and Achievement, they are invited to enter into a forward looking Agreement with the Federal Government to help bring about the Golden Age of Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” he continued.
The compact lays out sweeping demands including capping international enrolments, banning the use of race or sex in hiring and freezing tuition for five years. In return, schools that sign on will receive competitive funding advantages from the government.
Last week, MIT rejected the agreement, saying that it went against freedom of expression and was “fundamentally” inconsistent with MIT’s “core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone”.
Reactions from the other eight colleges have been relatively muted. While the University of Texas system chair announced he was “honoured” to be a part of Trump’s proposal, most administrators issued noncommittal “reviewing” statements.
With eight of the nine initial institutions yet to respond to the White House, the move is likely to shock stakeholders, who were not expecting a national rollout to come so quickly.
Higher Education has lost its way, and is now corrupting our Youth and Society with WOKE, SOCIALIST, and ANTI-AMERICAN Ideology
President Donald Trump
Speaking to The PIE prior to the compact’s expansion, Boston College professor Chris Glass said the initial rollout appeared to be designed as a pilot, with national rollout in the short-term “unlikely”.
“The administration likely intends the compact as a way to gauge reactions and as a basis for future policy moves and political messaging,” said Glass.
Responding to MIT’s response, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said: “Any university that refuses this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform higher education isn’t serving its students or their parents – they’re bowing to radical, left-wing bureaucrats.”
“President Trump encourages universities to join us in restoring academic excellence and common sense policies,” she said in a statement.
If adopted in its current form, the compact would set a 15% cap on international undergraduate students, including a 5% limit for any given country. It also stipulates that universities must hand over international student information upon the request of the government and bans DEI hiring practices.
Further demands include abolishing university units that “punish” or “belittle” conservative ideas, and prohibiting “actions or speech related to politics” by all college employees.
