MIT rejects Trump memo linking federal funding to campus policies

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Sally Kornbluth on Friday said she "cannot support" a White House memo that outlined new conditions for universities to qualify for preferential federal funding. The 10-point document, sent last week to nine top U.S. universities, proposed limits on international enrollment, hiring, admissions, and campus policies.

In an open letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Kornbluth said the memo undermines academic independence. "The premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone," she wrote in her letter published on MIT’s website.

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The White House memo included measures such as capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, prohibiting the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, and defining gender by biology. It also said universities adopting values beyond those outlined could "forgo federal benefits," while those in compliance may be rewarded.

MIT is the first university to formally reject the proposal. Other institutions, including Brown University, Dartmouth, the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California, said they were still reviewing the administration’s demands. The University of Texas earlier welcomed the initiative.

Brown President Christina Paxson said in a letter to her community that she was working on a response. The University of Virginia’s leadership also noted that "it would be difficult for the University to agree to certain provisions" in the memo.

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Defending the move, White House spokesperson Liz Huston said, "Any university that refuses this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform higher education isn't serving its students or their parents - they're bowing to radical, left-wing bureaucrats." The Education Department did not immediately comment.

The Trump administration has sought to use financial leverage to reshape higher education policies since taking office. Recent actions have included attempts to withhold funds from universities over campus protests, diversity programs, and environmental initiatives. Some efforts, including threats to cut off funding to Harvard University, have faced legal challenges.