Overview

• The ten-page proposal promises “substantial and meaningful federal grants” and other benefits to universities that sign, according to a cover letter cited by the Wall Street Journal.
• Required commitments include capping international enrollment at 15%, eliminating departments accused of penalizing conservative ideas, adopting sex-at-birth definitions, banning race or sex in hiring and admissions, restricting official political speech by staff, and freezing tuition, according to U.S. media reports.
• Named recipients include MIT, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Southern California, and Dartmouth; while the schools have not publicly commented, a UT governing council leader confirmed the program and said the university felt honored to be selected.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the offer as a radical deal and warned that state universities could forfeit state funding if they sign.
• The outreach follows a federal court ruling in early September ordering the release of previously frozen grants and comes after separate concessions by Columbia, Penn, and Brown under earlier administration pressure.