The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Friday became the first US university to reject a White House memo tying preferential federal funding to compliance with specific ideological policies.

MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in an open letter to US Education Secretary Linda McMahon that the directives would undermine the university’s independence and freedom of expression.

“The premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone,” Kornbluth wrote, a statement posted on MIT’s website.

The memo, sent last week to nine elite universities, outlined several controversial stipulations, including capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, banning the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, and defining genders strictly based on biology. Schools that refused to follow the memo risked losing federal benefits, while those that complied could be rewarded, according to the document.

MIT’s refusal comes amid US President Donald Trump’s broader push to use federal funding as leverage to coerce higher education institutions.

Universities study Trump's memo

Other universities, including Brown University, the University of Virginia, Dartmouth College, the University of Arizona, the University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University, said they are still reviewing the administration’s demands. Brown President Christina Paxson said she is consulting with her university community to draft a response. Meanwhile, the University of Texas expressed enthusiasm about working with the administration.

The memo also called for the restructuring or elimination of university units accused of suppressing conservative viewpoints and proposed that the Classic Learning Test be considered alongside the SAT and ACT for college admissions—a measure embraced by some conservative circles. Notably, the memo included no parallel protections for liberal perspectives.

Since Trump’s return to office in January, his administration has targeted universities it views as liberal-leaning, threatening to withhold funding over policies related to pro-Palestine activism, climate initiatives, and diversity programs.

Read more: MIT closes grant-tracking software used to expose Israeli ties, funds

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.

Late 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 Trump 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.