By Douglas Belkin and Natalie Andrews

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology became the first university to reject a sweeping proposal from the Trump administration offering colleges funding advantages in exchange for far-reaching campus reforms.

In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon Friday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the proposal -- called the "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" -- would restrict freedom of expression and MIT's independence. The proposal is inconsistent with the school's belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone, she said.

"In our view, America's leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence," Kornbluth wrote. "The people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education."

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The compact, sent out to nine colleges last week the White House perceived as "good actors," proposed a wide-ranging set of terms the administration says are intended to elevate university standards and performance. Universities that sign on will get "multiple positive benefits," including "substantial and meaningful federal grants," according to a letter addressed to university leaders.

"Our hope is that a lot of schools see that this is highly reasonable," May Mailman, senior adviser for special projects at the White House, said last week.

Faculty and public policy experts, even those who agree with the reform principles underlying the compact, have criticized the approach as government overreach that would undermine university independence and leave schools at the whim of government volatility.

In an Op Ed in the New York Times on Friday, Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo Global Management, who helped write the compact, said outside intervention was necessary because higher education is broken and university governance isn't up to the task of adequately addressing the problems.

"Our university system, which was once one of the nation's greatest strategic assets, has lost its way," Rowan wrote.

Trump administration officials have indicated there was some room for negotiation in the compact. They asked for feedback by Oct. 20.

Several schools have offered non-committal statements about the compact, some suggesting concern.

"It would be difficult for the University to agree to certain provisions in the Compact," leaders at the University of Virginia said. "Our response will be guided by the same principles of academic freedom and free inquiry that Thomas Jefferson placed at the center of the University's mission more than 200 years ago, and to which the University has remained faithful ever since."

At Dartmouth College, another of the schools invited to join the compact, President Sian Beilock wrote that she is "deeply committed to Dartmouth's academic mission and values and will always defend our fierce independence."

The most positive signal came from a leader from the University of Texas at Austin.

"We enthusiastically look forward to engaging with university officials and reviewing the compact immediately," said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Eltife said UT was "honored" to be in the initial batch invited to sign on, adding, "Higher education has been at a crossroads in recent years."

The compact demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions; freeze tuition for five years; cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%; require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test; and quell grade inflation.

Much of the document focuses on the campus political climate. Critics said the language was imprecise, including a mandate to get rid of departments that belittle conservative ideas.

In her Friday letter, MIT's Kornbluth said the school already does much of what the compact requests, including rewarding merit by mandating college entrance exams and espousing free expression.

Write to Douglas Belkin at Doug.Belkin@wsj.com and Natalie Andrews at natalie.andrews@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 10, 2025 11:05 ET (15:05 GMT)

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