MIT Rejects White House Memo Linking Federal Funding to Ideological Compliance

By Staff, Agencies
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has become the first US university to formally reject a White House directive conditioning federal funding on adherence to specific ideological policies.
In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon published Friday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the memo “undermines the university’s independence and freedom of expression,” stressing that research funding “should be based on scientific merit alone.”
The White House memo, sent last week to nine top universities, proposed a set of controversial requirements — including capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, banning the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, and defining gender strictly by biological criteria.
Institutions that complied could gain preferential federal benefits, while those that refused risked losing them.
Kornbluth’s stance makes MIT the first institution to openly challenge the directive, which critics have called an attempt to politicize higher education.
Several universities — including Brown, Dartmouth, Virginia, Arizona, Southern California, and Vanderbilt — said they are still reviewing the memo.
Brown President Christina Paxson noted that consultations are underway to prepare an institutional response, while the University of Texas expressed openness to cooperation with the administration.
The policy forms part of US President Donald Trump’s broader campaign to reshape higher education, targeting universities seen as liberal-leaning over issues such as pro-Palestine activism, diversity initiatives, and climate programs.
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