News|EducationUniversity of Arizona latest to turn down Trump’s policy demandsSeven of nine institutions approached by the Trump administration have now declined to sign new federal funding rules.

The University of Arizona has opted not to sign the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education , which was proposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump. This decision is part of the university's commitment to uphold principles such as academic freedom, merit-based research funding, and institutional independence.

The University of Arizona is the seventh institution to decline the compact out of nine universities initially approached by the Trump administration. As of the deadline on Mon, Oct 6, 2025, Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas at Austin have not publicly announced their decisions regarding the compact. Vanderbilt University has stated that it is engaged in discussions with the Trump administration.

The other universities that have rejected the compact include:

Brown University Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) University of Southern California University of Pennsylvania University of Virginia Dartmouth College

The compact includes terms requiring universities to disregard race and sex in admissions and hiring processes and to limit international students to no more than 15 percent of undergraduate enrollments. It also mandates that universities maintain a balanced marketplace of ideas without a dominant political ideology and require the abolition of departments that allegedly punish or oppose conservative ideas.

The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have expressed concerns regarding the compact. The AFT stated that the compact suggests favoritism and patronage in exchange for alignment with a partisan ideological agenda.

Federal Funding and Institutional Responses

Since the start of Trump's second term in January 2025, the White House has reduced federal research funding, often linking these decisions to efforts to limit political expression on campuses. Some universities, such as the University of Columbia, have chosen to collaborate with the administration, while others, including Harvard University, have resisted these measures.

In September 2025, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully cut over $2.2 billion in research grants to Harvard University. The court found that these actions were motivated by ideological considerations.

Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.