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Seven Universities Reject White House Compact as Vanderbilt and UT Austin Weigh Response

The administration set Nov. 21 for potential signings after a Monday feedback cutoff.

Overview

  • MIT, Brown, Penn, USC, Dartmouth, UVA, and the University of Arizona have publicly declined to sign the proposed 10‑point agreement.
  • Vanderbilt said it was asked to provide feedback rather than accept or reject the draft, reaffirming institutional neutrality and merit‑based research funding.
  • UT Austin has not rejected the proposal, with UT System leadership saying they were honored to be considered and would review the document.
  • The University of Arizona submitted its own Statement of Principles to the Education Department and stressed that federal research funding should remain strictly merit‑based.
  • The compact conditions preferential funding on policies such as a five‑year tuition freeze, a 15% cap on international undergraduates, bans on considering race or sex in admissions and hiring, strict gender definitions, required standardized testing, and governance changes to police viewpoint discrimination.