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CAMBRIDGE, MA - October 14, 2025 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has become the first university to publicly refuse the Trump administration’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which would condition access to preferential federal funding on sweeping changes to campus policies.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth, in a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, stated the compact’s terms would “restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution.” She affirmed that MIT already meets many ideals the compact espouses, asserting that scientific funding should be based on merit—not political or ideological criteria.

The proposed compact — sent to nine major institutions — would require signatories to adopt policies including banning the use of race or sex in admissions and hiring, freezing tuition for five years, limiting international enrollment, and enforcing strict definitions of gender.

Kornbluth’s letter emphasizes that MIT refuses to subordinate institutional autonomy to federal dictates, urging that higher education remain a space of independent inquiry.

The White House has given universities until Oct. 20 to respond to the compact. While MIT’s rejection sets an early precedent, other institutions are still deliberating whether to accept, negotiate, or decline.

*Sources: *https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/14/business/trump-funding-compact-mit/