Providence: Brown University has formally declined to join the Trump administration’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence,” a controversial policy initiative that seeks to bind leading universities to a series of federal guidelines on admissions, hiring, and curriculum in exchange for government benefits. The university’s decision marks a strong stance in defense of academic freedom and follows a similar refusal by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In a detailed letter addressed to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Brown President Christina Paxson stated that the university could not endorse a compact that would compromise its autonomy and restrict the academic liberties that define higher education. Paxson emphasized that signing the compact would conflict with an earlier agreement between Brown and the administration, which explicitly affirmed the institution’s right to govern its own academic policies and practices.
The proposed compact, formally titled “A Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” was circulated among nine prestigious universities across the United States. The document reportedly requires universities to adhere to strict federal conditions including limiting international student admissions to 15%, prohibiting the consideration of race or gender in hiring and admissions, and enforcing a definition of gender based solely on biological criteria. Institutions refusing to comply could face suspension of certain federal benefits, while those signing the compact might receive additional funding and favorable treatment in federal programs.
According to sources, the administration has already suspended or threatened to cancel millions of dollars in contracts with universities deemed non-compliant with its educational policies. Several of those decisions, however, have been overturned in court, where judges have cited overreach and potential violations of constitutional protections.
Brown’s refusal comes despite a recent agreement it signed with the federal government in July 2025, which restored access to federal research funds in exchange for a decade-long, $50 million investment in workforce development programs in Rhode Island. Crucially, that agreement contained a clause protecting Brown’s right to decide its curriculum and uphold academic freedom a provision Paxson said would be violated by the new compact’s terms.
In defense of the policy, a White House spokesperson said the compact aims to “restore academic excellence, fairness, and merit-based principles” in American higher education. The spokesperson argued that universities have strayed from their educational missions by embracing “ideological extremism” and that the compact seeks to bring them “back to the core values of scholarship and national unity.”
However, Brown’s decision, following MIT’s earlier rejection, underscores growing resistance among top-tier universities to the administration’s attempt to exert federal influence over campus governance. Academic organizations and faculty unions have described the compact as an “unprecedented intrusion” into university operations, warning that it could undermine diversity, inclusivity, and scientific independence.
With leading institutions pushing back, the Trump administration now faces mounting criticism from the higher education community for attempting to reshape academic culture through political and regulatory pressure. For Brown University, the refusal stands as a reaffirmation of its commitment to institutional freedom a value it argues is essential to both scholarship and democracy.