MIT rejects White House Terms for federal funding
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has become the first major U.S. university to reject new White House conditions for receiving federal research funding.
In an open letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Friday, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said she “cannot support” the administration’s memo, which outlines policies that universities must adopt to qualify for preferential federal funding. Kornbluth argued the proposal undermines academic independence and freedom of expression, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“The premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone,” she wrote.
The White House memo, sent last week to nine elite universities, includes provisions such as capping international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, banning race- or sex-based hiring and admissions, and defining gender based on biology. Institutions that do not comply risk losing federal benefits, while those that adhere could receive additional funding.
The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader campaign to reshape higher education by tying federal support to ideological and policy alignment. The administration claims the goal is to end “discrimination” in academia, while critics say it seeks to exert political control over universities.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston defended the initiative, saying universities rejecting the terms are “bowing to radical, left-wing bureaucrats.”
Other universities that received the memo — including Brown, the University of Virginia, Dartmouth, USC, Vanderbilt, and the University of Arizona — said they are reviewing the administration’s proposals. The University of Texas, however, expressed enthusiasm about working with the White House.
Since returning to office in January, Trump’s administration has increased scrutiny of what it calls liberal bias in academia, targeting universities over issues such as pro-Palestinian protests, diversity and inclusion programs, climate policies, and transgender rights.
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