Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Madi to Al Mayadeen: Preparations are underway to organize protests in Swiss cities in solidarity with the Sumud Flotilla
Spokeswoman for the Swiss ship of the Sumud Flotilla, Rania Madi, to Al Mayadeen: Six Swiss ships participating in the fleet confirmed they came under an Israeli attack
Media platforms: The navigational data of the Mikeno ship show it entering Gaza’s territorial waters, now just 9 nautical miles from the enclave
The first ship has reached Gaza’s territorial waters despite Israeli attempts to intercept it
The Omar Al-Mukhtar ship of the Global Sumud Flotilla is currently facing communication jamming, and the occupation’s military boats are approaching it. Contact with the vessel has been cut off.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: One martyred, several injured in the Israeli drone strike on a car in the al-Jarmaq area
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli drone struck a car in the al-Jarmaq area
Chile: Sumud Flotilla's interception violates freedom of navigation guaranteed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
Chile expresses "grave concern" over "Israel's" interception of the global convoy of Sumud Flotilla as it heads to Gaza
Venezuela affirms its unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and those willing to risk their safety in order to "keep the flame of humanity burning"

White House plan links funding to campus culture and admissions: WSJ

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Wall Street Journal
  • Today 12:01
4 Min Read

A White House plan offers grants and perks to universities that adopt strict rules on tuition, admissions, and campus politics, sparking backlash from educators.

Listen
  • x
  • White House plan links funding to campus culture and admissions: WSJ
    White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaking with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington (AP)

The Trump administration is pressing colleges and universities to adopt a sweeping set of operating principles in exchange for preferential access to federal grants, according to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

Outlined in a 10-point memo titled the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” the proposal sets wide-ranging requirements aimed at raising academic standards and reshaping campus culture. Schools that sign on would receive “multiple positive benefits,” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants,” according to a letter sent to university leaders.

“Our hope is that a lot of schools see that this is highly reasonable,” said May Mailman, senior advisor for special projects at the White House.

The compact directs institutions to freeze tuition for five years, cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, and mandate that applicants take standardized tests such as the SAT. It also calls for strict measures against grade inflation and prohibits the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions decisions.

Much of the memo focuses on campus politics, urging universities to promote a “vibrant marketplace of ideas on campus.” It bars staff from expressing political views on behalf of their institutions unless directly tied to university business.

The proposal also calls for governance changes to create more space for conservative viewpoints, including dismantling academic departments accused of “purposefully punish[ing], belittl[ing], and even spark[ing] violence against conservative ideas.”

“Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those” in the memo, the document states, though such schools would forgo the promised federal benefits.

Pushback from higher education leaders

Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, which represents more than 1,500 university presidents, sharply criticized the plan.

Related News

Social media drive shift in US views on Israeli genocide in Gaza

US to provide Ukraine with intel on energy targets deep inside Russia

“Who decides if the intellectual environment is vigorous and open-ended? This is not something the federal government should be involved in and adjudicating,” Mitchell told The Wall Street Journal. “The implications for free speech are horrifying.”

On Wednesday evening, the White House sent invitation letters to nine universities, including Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, USC, MIT, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown, and the University of Virginia. The letters said that signing the compact would demonstrate that “learning and equality are university priorities” while providing the government “assurance” of compliance with civil rights law and “pursuing federal priorities with vigor.”

Most of the institutions either declined to comment or did not respond to inquiries, as per the report.

Mailman said the schools were chosen because they are seen as “good actors".

“They have a president who is a reformer or a board that has really indicated they are committed to a higher-quality education,” she stressed.

Incentives and enforcement

While the administration does not plan to limit all federal funding to signatories, Mailman said those universities would receive priority for grants, as well as invitations to White House events and policy discussions.

The compact comes amid months of tension between the administration and universities over allegations of antisemitism and the use of diversity initiatives. Some schools, including Columbia and Brown, have reached multimillion-dollar agreements with the White House, while others, such as Harvard, remain in dispute.

If a university signs the compact and later violates its terms, it could be forced to return both federal funds and private contributions received during that year.

Tuition and accountability measures

Beyond campus politics, the agreement also targets the rising cost of higher education. Schools would be required to freeze tuition for five years, cut administrative expenses, and publish earnings data for graduates by academic program. Students who drop out within their first semester would be eligible for tuition refunds.

Universities with endowments exceeding $2 million per student would be expected to waive tuition for those studying “hard science” programs.

To ensure compliance, the compact requires institutions to hire an independent auditor who would conduct anonymous surveys of faculty, staff, and students. The results would reportedly be made public and reviewed by the Justice Department.

  • United States
  • US universities
  • white house

Most Read

Last photo showing Martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Martyr Hajj Hassan in a Resistance operations room, Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, days before their martyrdom (Al Mayadeen)

In heart of battle: Al Mayadeen shares last photo of Sayyed Nasrallah

  • Politics
  • 27 Sep 2025
Hamas fighters stand in formation ahead of a ceremony to hand over Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP)

Hamas reviews Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan as PIJ rejects

  • Palestine
  • 30 Sep 2025
Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
Trump’s 21-point Gaza plan vs Netanyahu’s demand for Hamas defeat

Trump vows 'something special' in ME; Israeli delegation in chaos

  • US & Canada
  • 28 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
From inside the ship Alma of the Global Resilience Fleet (social media)
Politics

Israeli occupation regime navy raid Gaza Flotilla's Alma, Sirius ships

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, attends a ceremony at Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's grave in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, September 27, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Larijani: Europe mistaken to expect concessions from Iran

Al-Quds Brigades strike a command and control center north of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in an undated screengrab from the al-Quds Brigades military media
Politics

Gaza resistance announces major operations against Israeli forces

Smoke rises following an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, October 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Politics

Gaza death toll rises to 66,148 as 'Israel' closes Al-Rasheed street

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS