Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the military will halt all officer enrollment in educational programs at Ivy League universities, calling these elite institutions ‘anti-American.’
The prohibition takes effect with the 2026-27 school year, Hegseth announced in a social media video on X.
This decision represents part of the Trump administration’s broader campaign against universities over various issues including diversity initiatives, transgender policies, and pro-Palestinian demonstrations related to Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
‘For decades, the Ivy League and similar institutions have gorged themselves on a trust fund of American taxpayer dollars, only to become factories of anti-American resentment and military disdain,’ Hegseth stated in his X video.
He continued, ‘I’m ordering the complete and immediate cancellation of all Department of War attendance at institutions like Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, Yale and many others starting next academic year.’
This announcement follows Hegseth’s earlier decision this month to terminate professional military education programs, fellowships, and certificate offerings with Harvard University.
