University of Virginia rejects Trump's compact for academic excellence
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University of Virginia rejects Trump’s Compact for Academic Excellence, citing threats to academic integrity, joining top universities in refusal.
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A statue of Thomas Jefferson stands in front of the Rotunda at the University of Virginia on March 1, 2024, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
The University of Virginia announced on Friday that it will not sign the Trump administration’s proposed Compact for Academic Excellence, becoming the fifth academic institution to reject the initiative.
The compact, introduced as part of the administration's broader effort to reshape higher education standards in the US, links priority access to federal funding with a university’s compliance with a new set of federal academic and political conditions.
Interim President Paul Mahoney emphasized that the university “seeks no special treatment” and remains committed to working with the government on “lasting approaches to improving higher education.”
The Compact for Academic Excellence is a 10-page proposal offering preferential federal support to institutions that agree to several binding conditions.
These include:
- A five-year freeze on tuition
- Limits on international student enrollment
- Bans on race- or sex-based considerations in hiring and admissions
- Prohibitions against university employees making political statements on behalf of their institutions
Universities that breach the agreement could be required to return federal funds received during the same fiscal year. The compact was sent to nine universities as part of a federal push to align academic performance and campus conduct with national policy directives.
Academic integrity vs. Political constraints
In a letter addressed to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and other senior officials, Mahoney expressed concern over the political implications of the compact.
“The integrity of science and other academic work requires merit-based assessment of research and scholarship,” he wrote, adding: "A contractual arrangement predicating assessment on anything other than merit will undermine the integrity of vital, sometimes lifesaving, research and further erode confidence in American higher education."
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Faculty members at the University of Virginia voiced relief at the administration’s decision. Faculty Senate Chair Jeri K. Seidman told the Washington Post that professors were encouraged by the university’s firm stance on protecting academic freedom in universities.
The University of Virginia joins several prestigious institutions in rejecting the initiative.
These include:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Brown University
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Southern California
Other universities, such as Harvard and Columbia, are currently challenging federal funding freezes imposed under similar or related agreements.
White House advisor May Mailman said that universities that sign the Compact for Academic Excellence would receive preference for competitive grants and participation in special White House programs. However, the framework also includes strict penalties for non-compliance, including the possibility of funding clawbacks.
The compact remains a focal point of the Trump administration’s attempt to reassert control over higher education by emphasizing measurable performance and depoliticized academic environments.
Trump administration bars Harvard from federal grants
On a related note, 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.”
