Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth on Friday formally rejected the Trump administration’s proposal to offer federal funding advantages to universities willing to adopt sweeping campus reforms.
“In our view, America’s leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence,” Kornbluth wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
“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 move positions MIT as the first major institution to publicly decline the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”
The compact, which was circulated to nine elite institutions including MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, and the University of Texas, would have granted preferential access to federal grants and private funds in exchange for compliance with ideological and administrative mandates.
Among its terms: banning consideration of race or sex in admissions and hiring, freezing tuition for five years, capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, reinstating mandatory SAT (or equivalent) testing, and dismantling academic units deemed hostile to conservative viewpoints.
In her letter, Kornbluth objected that the compact “undermines academic freedom and institutional independence,” and stressed that MIT places scientific excellence and open inquiry above external mandates.
While she noted that MIT already adheres to some of the compact’s goals — such as merit-based admissions and providing free tuition to families earning under $200,000 — the difference lies in the method of implementation, Kornbluth said.
“We freely choose these values because they’re right,” her letter stated.
Critics across the education world applauded the decision, warning that the compact represents federal overreach into curriculum, governance, and speech.
Some institutions have privately expressed reservation, while the University of Texas system publicly signaled interest in reviewing the proposal.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has opened a feedback window through Oct. 20 for institutions to respond.
Observers note MIT’s decision underscores the tension between federal leverage and university autonomy. In recent months, the administration has already frozen billions in grants to schools such as Harvard for resisting ideological mandates.
Several higher-ed groups and legal experts argue the compact may face constitutional challenges, particularly around compelled speech and interference with private governance.
As the deadline for responses approaches, MIT’s early rejection may encourage other institutions to stand firm on academic freedom — or intensify pressure on the administration to scale back enforcement.
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