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MIT Rejects Trump's Academic Compact, Defends Academic Freedom

10/10/2025

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has rejected the Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, the first of nine targeted universities to respond.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the compact's provisions, including capping international enrollment and freezing tuition, would undermine academic freedom.
Other universities, including Brown University and Dartmouth College, are still deliberating.
The White House has set an October 20 deadline for responses from the remaining institutions.

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Story summary

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has rejected the Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, the first of nine targeted universities to respond.
MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the compact's provisions, including capping international enrollment and freezing tuition, would undermine academic freedom.
Other universities, including Brown University and Dartmouth College, are still deliberating.
The White House has set an October 20 deadline for responses from the remaining institutions.