The White House is asking nine major colleges and universities to sign onto a series of demands in return for expanded access to federal funding. Signing onto the compact will provide these universities “a competitive advantage,” a White House official said. “Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits,” reads the letter, signed by Education Secretary Linda McMahon, White House Domestic Policy Council director Vince Haley and White House adviser May Mailman. University of Texas System Board of Regents chairman Kevin Eltife said in a statement that the system is “honored” that University of Texas at Austin was included by the White House. Notably, the Trump administration had already reached a $50 million deal with Brown to restore the school’s federal funding, and the University of Pennsylvania had also reached an agreement with the Trump administration regarding transgender athletes.