Brown is among nine universities invited to sign a 10-point memo called the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” by the Trump administration on Wednesday, according to the Wall Street Journal.
If signed, the White House said that the agreement will provide the universities with benefits that include “substantial and meaningful federal grants” and access to “White House events and discussions with officials,” the Journal reported.
The memo lays out a number of demands, including freezing tuition for five years, limiting grade inflation and capping international undergraduate enrollment rates at 15%.
Other requirements include banning the use of race and sex in admissions and hiring practices, as well as requiring university applicants to take the SAT or a similar test.
The universities were chosen because it is believed they may be “good actors,” May Mailman, the White House’s senior adviser for special projects, told the Journal. “They have a president who is a reformer or a board that has really indicated they are committed to a higher quality education,” she added in her statement.
Penn and Dartmouth are the only other Ivy League schools to receive the letter.
The University and the White House did not immediately offer additional comment.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
Cate Latimer is a university news editor covering faculty, University Hall and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
