The Trump administration has issued a 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education' to nine leading universities, including MIT, Brown, and the University of Virginia. The compact demands significant operational changes in admissions, hiring, speech policies, and financial aid practices, tying compliance to preferential federal funding and event invitations. Educational leaders and legal experts express concerns that signing the compact could compromise academic freedom and institutional autonomy. The initiative continues a broader campaign of Federal oversight and political influence over higher education institutions.