Trump Unveils Authoritarian “Compact” to Control US Universities

By Staff, Agencies

In yet another bid to subjugate higher education, President Donald Trump has introduced what critics call a “blackmail scheme” targeting universities — a 10-point “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” that ties federal funding to political obedience.

Under the new plan, universities would receive preferential access to federal money only if they agreed to the administration’s terms — effectively letting the government dictate campus policy, admissions, and curricula. The move follows years of threats by the Trump administration to strip funding from universities deemed “uncooperative” or “too liberal”.

While the White House insists the initiative promotes a “vibrant marketplace of ideas”, the compact in reality demands ideological favoritism toward conservatives. Among its provisions are bans on race- or gender-based hiring, the abolition of departments accused of “punishing conservative thought,” and even restrictions on faculty expressing political opinions “on behalf of the institution”.

The compact also includes an assortment of unrelated mandates: a five-year tuition freeze, mandatory standardized testing, and a cap on international enrollment — no more than 15% total and 5% per country. It further proposes barring transgender women from women’s sports and locker rooms, while rewarding schools that prioritize “hard science” majors with waived tuition for certain students.

In exchange for compliance, universities would be declared “in good standing” with federal civil rights laws, effectively shielding them from politically motivated investigations. Schools must also hire “independent auditors” to monitor adherence to the compact and report directly to the Department of Justice — an unprecedented level of federal intrusion into academic governance.

Nine institutions reportedly received the administration’s “invitation” to join the compact: Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, MIT, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia.

Kevin Eltife, chair of the University of Texas Board of Regents, openly welcomed the proposal, saying UT was “honored” to be selected and would “enthusiastically review the compact immediately”.

Critics, however, say the initiative represents a dangerous step toward authoritarian control of academia. By coercing universities to conform to the administration’s ideology in exchange for funding, Trump appears intent on dismantling the independence of US higher education — ensuring that campuses become extensions of political power rather than bastions of free thought.

As one observer put it: “This isn’t about academic excellence. It’s about obedience”.