Brown University announced Wednesday that it has rejected the Trump administration's “Academic Excellence Agreement,” despite signing an agreement with the federal government in July.
Administration proposed Brown and eight other schools entered into an optional agreement requiring schools to refrain from raising tuition prices and using unfair racial preferences in admissions in exchange for preferences in grant decisions. Brown is the second school, reject the offerjust a week after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). (RELATED: Trump taps new federal funds to entice 9 universities to support his program)
“But while a number of provisions of the Agreement reflect the same principles as the July Agreement, as well as our own commitments to accessibility and the free exchange of ideas, I am concerned that the Agreement, by its nature and by its various provisions, will restrict academic freedom and undermine Brown’s governance autonomy, critically compromising our ability to carry out our mission,” Brown said. announcement reads.
The Ivy League organization said it shares the goal of maintaining a healthy relationship with the federal government and intends to honor the July agreement.
Gateway to the Brown University campus on March 17, 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Brown entered July permission agreement with the Trump administration after the federal government freeze The university received $510 million in grants, accusing it of failing to combat anti-Semitism on campus and continuing to use illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In addition to paying $50 million, Brown agreed to accept the biological definitions of “male” and “female,” combat anti-Semitism and prove there is no racial discrimination in the admissions process.
One of the school's concerns about the proposal, he said, was that the promised incentives for federal grants would undermine the “fundamental” goal of “providing research funding based on proposed research.” Brown said he intends to “compete fairly for new research grants in the future.”
The proposed “Covenant on Academic Excellence in Higher Education” also calls on universities to cap international student enrollment at 15%, require students to submit standardized test scores for admission, crack down on grade inflation, maintain institutional neutrality and close departments that “purposefully punish, disparage, and even incite violence against conservative ideas.”
None of the other universities that proposed the deal have made public statements about their decision, but schools will not be penalized if they reject the offer. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom threatened all of his state's universities would lose public funds if they went through with the deal.
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