Trump administration wants University of Pennsylvania to sign ‘compact’ in exchange for preferential funding terms

The Trump administration is offering nine prominent U.S. universities preferential access to federal funds if they pledge to take a series of steps that align with the Republican administration’s goals of eliminating what it sees as liberal influence on academia.

The 10-point memo calls on colleges to agree to freeze tuition for five years, cap the enrollment of international students to 15% of undergraduate student body, commit to strict definitions of gender and other steps.

The memo was sent to officials at Vanderbilt University, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Texas, University of Arizona, Brown University, and the University of Virginia, according to a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly about the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“To advance the national interest arising out of this unique relationship, this Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education represents the priorities of the U.S. government in its engagements with universities that benefit from the relationship,” the administration says in the lengthy memo, obtained by The Associated Press.