EXPLAINERNews|DemographicsWhat are Trump’s new rules for universities to qualify for federal funding?The White House sent the ‘Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education’ to nine US universities.
The United States government has issued a memo to nine US universities outlining specific conditions for gaining preferential access to federal funds. This document, titled "A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," contains a set of…
The United States government has issued a memo to nine US universities outlining specific conditions for gaining preferential access to federal funds. This document, titled "A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education," contains a set of requirements that universities must agree to in order to qualify for such funding.
The memo specifies the following requirements:
Admissions and financial support services must disregard race and sex when admitting students, hiring staff, and faculty. Universities must publicly share anonymized admissions data, including GPA and test scores, categorized by race, national origin, and sex. All university applicants must take a standardized test, such as the SAT, prior to admission. International students are limited to 15 percent of undergraduate enrollments. Universities must maintain a balance of political ideologies on campus, abolishing departments that punish or belittle conservative ideas. Institutions are required to freeze tuition fees for five years, reduce administrative costs, and publicly disclose graduate earnings by program. Universities with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate student must waive tuition fees for students in "hard science" programs.
Non-compliance with these standards may result in a loss of federal benefits, while compliant institutions will receive rewards.
The following universities received the memo:
The United States government has issued a memo to nine US universities outlining specific conditions for gaining preferential access to federal funds.
University of Arizona Brown University Dartmouth College Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) University of Pennsylvania University of Southern California University of Texas University of Virginia Vanderbilt University
Universities have indicated that they are reviewing the memo. The University of Arizona's spokesperson noted that the university first received the compact on Oct. 1 and is currently examining it. Similarly, the University of Texas Board of Regents expressed interest in engaging with university officials to review the compact.
Brown University announced the formation of an ad hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion to develop recommendations and a draft action plan for promoting diversity and inclusion on campus.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) criticized the memo, arguing that it shows favoritism and patronage in exchange for adherence to a partisan agenda. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) also expressed concerns over the implications of the memo.
Professors at the affected universities have voiced apprehensions about the potential impact on educational institutions and their ability to foster diverse viewpoints.
The memo is part of the Trump administration's broader strategy to influence the political climate of higher education institutions in the US. This initiative follows previous actions targeting universities for alleged bias and discrimination against conservative ideas and groups.
In past instances, the administration has revoked or frozen federal funding for universities, such as Columbia and Harvard, as part of its efforts to enforce compliance with its educational policies.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.