(MENAFN) The University of Virginia announced on Friday that it will not participate in the Trump administration’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” becoming the fifth institution to decline the initiative. The program promises prioritized access to federal funding in exchange for universities adopting specified federal academic criteria and political restrictions.

Interim President Paul Mahoney emphasized that the university “seeks no special treatment” and intends to collaborate with the government on “lasting approaches to improving higher education.” In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and other senior officials, Mahoney stated, “The integrity of science and other academic work requires merit-based assessment of research and scholarship. A contractual arrangement predicating assessment on anything other than merit will undermine the integrity of vital, sometimes lifesaving, research and further erode confidence in American higher education.”

The 10-page proposal outlines conditions for institutions to receive priority federal funding, including maintaining tuition rates for five years, limiting international student enrollment, banning hiring or admissions based on race or gender, and restricting university staff from making political statements on behalf of their schools.

The University of Virginia follows the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Southern California in rejecting the plan. Faculty Senate Chair Jeri K. Seidman expressed relief among professors regarding the decision, according to reports.

The initiative was sent to nine universities as part of a broader federal effort to establish new benchmarks for academic performance and campus behavior. White House adviser May Mailman stated that institutions signing the compact would also receive priority for grants and opportunities to participate in White House programs.

Introduced as part of the administration’s larger education agenda, the “Compact for Academic Excellence” includes provisions requiring universities that violate its terms to return federal funding received during the year. Several institutions, including Harvard and Columbia, are currently disputing federal funding freezes tied to similar agreements.

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