Saint Augustine’s University said it will engage with the Trump administration’s proposed Compact for Academic Excellence but warned several compact provisions conflict with HBCU missions and federal mandates. University leaders requested a dialogue with the Education Department to secure mission-sensitive accommodations on clauses covering race-conscious admissions, international student caps and tuition freezes. The announcement makes Saint Augustine’s the first Historically Black College to express conditional interest and highlights how financially fragile institutions are weighing potential access to federal advantages against operational and legal risks. Campus leaders and policy watchers say the development could prompt other resource-strapped institutions to negotiate terms rather than reject or accept the compact outright.