Overview

• The memo, titled “A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” was circulated to nine campuses including MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, USC, the University of Arizona, the University of Texas, the University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt.
• It proposes capping international undergraduates at 15% of enrollment with no more than 5% from any single country, with compliance linked to eligibility for federal funding benefits.
• According to reporting cited from The Wall Street Journal, the 10-point plan would require standardized tests for all applicants, public release of admissions data by demographics, five-year tuition freezes, and a ban on considering race or sex in admissions or hiring.
• The directive also calls for abolishing departments that “belittle” conservative ideas and screening foreign students for alignment with “American and Western values,” with students voicing concerns about potential visa or SEVIS consequences.
• Forbes notes the measure is a targeted, incentive-based proposal rather than a universal rule, though Indian and Chinese applicants could face tighter access given their outsized share of U.S. international enrollments.