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6h ago

Education Secretary Asks U.S. Colleges to Publicly Commit to Seven Reforms

A softer, questionnaire-style request signals a tactical shift that leaves open whether the government will offer incentives or pursue investigations.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 14: U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies before the House Committee on Education and Workforce at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. The hearing examined the policies and priorities of the Department of Education. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
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CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 15: People walk past blooming trees on the Harvard University Campus on April 15, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Trump administration task force announced Monday that it would block Harvard University from receiving $2.2 billion in federal grants and $60 million in contracts after the Ivy League school defied demands to adopt new policies on student and faculty conduct and admissions. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 14: U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testifies before the House Committee on Education and Workforce at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. The hearing examined the policies and priorities of the Department of Education. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The Department of Education sent an open letter asking every college president and governing board to post public statements addressing seven topics on their websites by the end of 2026.
  • The seven topics are admissions transparency, free exchange of ideas, intellectual pluralism and hiring, affordability and value, academic rigor and AI/grade inflation, foreign influence and research integrity, and commitments to national service and American interests.
  • The department consulted with leaders at major research institutions and the Association of American Universities and sought feedback from four university presidents as it drafted the questionnaire.
  • The letter drops the explicit funding-for-policy trades in last year’s compact but a White House official said schools that announce reforms could be more likely to take part in talks on reshaping federal research funding.
  • Secretary Linda McMahon said investigators at the Education Department could review noncompliance and that cases might be referred to the Department of Justice, prompting a split response from university leaders and advocacy groups over pressure on academic freedom.