Brown University has declined to sign a White House agreement offering preferential funding in exchange for sweeping policy changes, becoming the second major United States university to reject US President Donald Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.

In a letter sent Wednesday to administration officials, Brown President Christina Paxson said the compact “by its nature and by various provisions would restrict academic freedom and undermine the autonomy of Brown’s governance.”

Paxson’s stance echoes that of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Sally Kornbluth, who last week became the first university leader to reject the Trump administration’s proposal. Kornbluth argued that the compact’s conditions “undermine the principle that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”

The Trump administration’s compact, first sent to nine elite universities on October 1, ties enhanced federal funding to the adoption of conservative-aligned policies. These include banning the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, restricting international undergraduate enrollment to 15%, and eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Academic independence vs political leverage

The White House has described the initiative as a step toward restoring “ideological balance” and “patriotic education” in higher learning. However, universities and civil rights advocates warn that it represents a dangerous precedent, turning federal education funding into a political instrument.

“The Compact would directly violate the assurances made in our July agreement, which explicitly prohibited federal interference in Brown’s curriculum or classroom content,” Paxson wrote, referring to a deal that restored hundreds of millions of dollars in previously frozen research grants in exchange for workforce investments in Rhode Island.

The Trump administration has not publicly responded to Brown’s letter. Officials previously stated that institutions refusing to sign the compact could face investigations into compliance with federal law, though it remains unclear whether student aid or federal research eligibility will be affected.

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Broader academic backlash

The compact was initially circulated among nine universities: MIT, Brown, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, and Dartmouth College. None of the other seven institutions announced their decisions, though internal discussions are reportedly ongoing.

MIT’s rejection on October 10 marked the first major defiance of the Trump administration’s attempt to reshape university governance through funding mechanisms. The university’s decision came amid a broader White House campaign to pressure academic institutions perceived as “liberal-leaning,” including restrictions on pro-Palestine activism and diversity programs.

Trump administration bars Harvard from federal grants

The Trump administration formally barred Harvard University in May from receiving any new federal grants, intensifying a growing standoff with the elite institution over its alleged failure to address antisemitism and comply with government oversight demands.

In April, the Trump administration escalated a dispute with Harvard by threatening to withdraw over $1 billion in health research funding after the university publicly rejected a confidential list of federal demands.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced the decision in a letter sent to Harvard's president. In it, she declared that Harvard “should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,” citing the university’s alleged “failure to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties, its transparency responsibilities, and any semblance of academic rigor.”

In September, the administration moved to formally bar Harvard University from receiving future federal research funding, a decision critics said was part of a wider effort to silence pro-Palestinian activism and reshape political discourse on US campuses.

The action, known as debarment, would blacklist Harvard from billions of dollars in federal research grants. It follows a dispute that began after the administration accused the university of failing to "address antisemitism", a charge many see as a pretext to target students and faculty expressing solidarity with Palestinians during Gaza protests.

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