October 24, 2025

How Universities Are Responding to Trump’s Compact

The document would require signatories to make sweeping changes to policies and practices. A number of institutions have already said no, and more responses are expected.

By Katherine Knott

In the weeks since Trump officials asked university leaders to give feedback on their plan to ensure that colleges are adhering to the administration’s priorities, several of those leaders and others in higher ed have made clear that the proposal is a nonstarter—at least in its current form.

So far, leaders at 11 universities have publicly said they won’t sign the current draft of the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” according to an Inside Higher Ed database. Two others have said they are providing f

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