Overview

• University of Pennsylvania declined the proposal on Thursday, becoming the third school after MIT and Brown to refuse the White House offer.
• The compact offers preferential access to federal grants in exchange for measures including a five-year tuition freeze, a 15% cap on international undergraduates, bans on using race or sex in admissions and hiring, and binary government definitions for gender in facilities and sports.
• Brown said the plan conflicts with a July agreement that restored its research funding and affirmed federal noninterference in curriculum, while both Brown and MIT warned the compact undercuts merit-based research funding.
• The administration initially targeted nine institutions on October 1 and has since opened the invitation to all U.S. colleges, with most original recipients still reviewing; UT Austin signaled interest, while UVA and Arizona formed review groups.
• Focused feedback is due October 20 with decisions requested by November 21, and details on enforcement and the scope of promised funding advantages remain unclear as legal and political scrutiny intensifies.