The Trump administration has asked select U.S. colleges to sign an agreement with strict conditions to gain preferential access to federal funding, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing a 10-point memo.
In the first round, nine universities were approached, including Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, USC, MIT, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown, and the University of Virginia.
The memo reportedly requires schools to ban the consideration of race or sex in hiring and admissions, freeze tuition for five years, limit international undergraduate enrollment to 15%, mandate standardized testing such as the SAT, and address grade inflation. Universities that comply would receive “substantial and meaningful federal grants,” the letter stated.
The administration has previously threatened to cut federal funding over issues such as pro-Palestinian protests, transgender policies, climate programs, and diversity initiatives, arguing that universities promote “anti-American” values. Rights advocates have raised concerns that the move undermines academic freedom and free speech.
May Mailman, a White House adviser, described the proposal as “reasonable” and emphasized the benefits universities would gain by agreeing to the terms.
