Trump Extends Preferential Funding Offer to All US Colleges

• Trump urges US universities to join funding-linked academic compact.
• MIT rejects the compact over scientific merit and freedom concerns.
• Agreement limits international students, bans DEI hiring nationwide.

After MIT rejected the compact, the Trump administration has reportedly encouraged all US institutions to join the agreement that would provide preferential funding in exchange for various commitments, including bans on DEI and a 15% limit on international undergraduate students at colleges.

The Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education was first dispatched to nine prestigious universities, which were assigned a response deadline of October 20.

An insider informed Bloomberg News that the agreement has been broadened to encompass all US colleges and universities, putting pressure on the entire system and risking significant funding divides among institutions. According to the source, multiple schools have allegedly shown interest in the agreement, although no specific institutions were mentioned.

 “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.  

Last week, MIT declined the agreement, stating that it opposed freedom of expression and was “fundamentally” at odds with MIT’s “core principle that scientific funding must rely solely on scientific merit.”

Also Read: Trump Targets ‘Woke’ Ideology in Education Reforms

Responses from the other eight colleges have been fairly subdued. Although the chair of the University of Texas system expressed he was "honoured" to be involved in Trump’s proposal, the majority of administrators provided vague statements about "reviewing."

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 approved as it is now, the compact would impose a 15% cap on international undergraduate students, which includes a 5% restriction for each individual country. It also requires universities to provide international student information when requested by the government and prohibits DEI hiring practices.