Trump sends 10-point memo to schools & colleges on funding, foreign students and diversity

The Trump administration has asked US colleges to sign a 10-point agreement linking federal funding to rules on international enrollment, diversity, tuition, and ideological alignment, according to a White House memo shared with Reuters.

The memo asks schools to cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15%, ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions, freeze tuition for five years, require standardized tests like the SAT, and address grade inflation. It also urges universities to promote viewpoint diversity among students, faculty, and staff, and to revise or remove institutional units that, the memo claims, “punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”

Also Read| Trump memo sets 15% cap on international students at US colleges

Foreign students are expected to support “American and Western values,” and universities must screen out applicants showing hostility to the US, its allies, or its values. Colleges must also share all known information about foreign students, including disciplinary records, with the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.

The memo sets specific limits on foreign students:

10-Point Memo Summary

Cap international undergraduate enrollment at 15%.

No more than 5% of students from any one country.

Ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions.

Freeze tuition for five years.

Require applicants to take the SAT or a similar standardized test.

Address grade inflation across courses.

Promote viewpoint diversity among students, faculty, and staff.

Revise or remove institutional units that punish or belittle conservative ideas.

Screen foreign students for support of “American and Western values” and check for hostility to the US or its allies.

Share all known information about foreign students, including discipline records, with the Department of Homeland Security and State Department.

Letters requesting agreement and feedback were sent to Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, MIT, University of Texas, University of Arizona, Brown University, and University of Virginia. Colleges that comply will gain “substantial and meaningful federal grants,” the memo says. Adherence will be reviewed by the US Justice Department, and violating universities may lose access to these benefits.

The Trump administration has recently probed universities over pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Columbia and Brown reached settlements, agreeing to pay $220 million and $50 million, respectively. Trump has said a deal with Harvard could involve $500 million. The administration claims universities allowed antisemitism during these protests, while critics argue advocacy for Palestinian rights is being wrongly equated with extremism.

Rights groups have raised concerns that the memo threatens free speech and academic freedom, saying it aligns universities with the Trump administration’s political agenda. Trump has accused US universities of harboring “anti-American” and anti-conservative values.