MIT President Rejects Trump Administration's Higher Education Compact Tying Federal Funding to Political Agenda

MIT's president Sally Kornbluth announced on Friday that she "cannot support" a White House proposal requesting MIT and eight other universities to adopt President Donald Trump's political agenda in exchange for preferential access to federal funding.

MIT is among the first institutions to express definitive opposition to the agreement that the White House characterized as offering "multiple positive benefits," including "substantial and meaningful federal grants." While University of Texas system leaders expressed honor at their flagship Austin campus being invited, most other universities have maintained silence as they evaluate the document.

In her letter to Trump administration officials, President Kornbluth stated that MIT disagrees with several provisions in the proposal, particularly those that would restrict free speech and institutional autonomy. She emphasized that this approach contradicts MIT's fundamental belief that scientific funding should be allocated solely based on merit.

"Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education," Kornbluth wrote to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and White House officials.

The higher education compact distributed last week requires universities to make extensive commitments aligned with Trump's political agenda on various issues including admissions processes, women's sports, free speech, and student disciplinary actions. Universities were asked to provide "limited, targeted feedback" by October 20 and make their final decisions by November 21.

Other institutions that received the 10-page proposal include Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, the University of Arizona, Brown University, and the University of Virginia. The selection criteria for these institutions remains unclear.

University leaders face significant pressure to reject the compact amid strong opposition from students, faculty members, free speech advocates, and higher education organizations. Some university leaders have characterized it as extortion. In Tucson, home to the University of Arizona, the mayor and city council formally opposed the compact, describing it as an "unacceptable act of federal interference."

Even conservative voices have criticized the compact. Frederick Hess, education policy director at the American Enterprise Institute, called it "profoundly problematic" and argued that the government's requests are "ungrounded in law."

At the University of Virginia, administrators have solicited campus feedback on the proposal. University leaders indicated it would be "very difficult" to accept certain terms of the arrangement and affirmed that their decision would be guided by "principles of academic freedom and free inquiry."

Democrats in Virginia's Senate threatened to withdraw university funding if the agreement was signed. In a Tuesday letter to university leadership, leading Democrats labeled the compact a trap and stated the state would not "subsidize an institution that has ceded its independence to federal political control."

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, issued a similar ultimatum to USC last week.

In its communication to universities, the administration claimed the compact would strengthen and renew the "mutually beneficial relationship" between universities and the government. This relationship is currently experiencing unprecedented strain as the White House reduces billions in research funding from campuses it accuses of antisemitism and liberal bias.

The administration described the compact as a proactive reform attempt while continuing enforcement through other means. The nine universities were invited to become "initial signatories."

While Kornbluth's letter didn't explicitly decline the compact, it suggested that its terms are unworkable. Nevertheless, she noted that MIT already aligns with some values outlined in the proposal, such as prioritizing merit in admissions and enhancing college affordability.

Kornbluth highlighted that MIT was the first institution to reinstate standardized admissions test requirements following the COVID-19 pandemic and admits students based on their talent, ideas, and work ethic. She added that incoming undergraduates whose families earn less than $200,000 annually receive full tuition coverage.

"We freely choose these values because they're right, and we live by them because they support our mission," Kornbluth wrote.

The White House compact asked universities to freeze tuition for American students for five years. Institutions with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate would be prohibited from charging tuition for students in "hard science" programs.

It required colleges to mandate SAT or ACT tests for all undergraduate applicants and eliminate race, sex, and other characteristics from admissions decisions. Participating schools would also need to accept the government's binary definition of gender and apply it to campus bathrooms and sports teams.

A significant portion of the compact focuses on promoting conservative viewpoints. To create a "vibrant marketplace of ideas," campuses would commit to measures including "transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas."