The Trump administration is asking nine universities to sign a "compact" in exchange for preferential access to federal funding, and the University of Texas at Austin is one of those schools.

The document asks universities to stick to strict gender roles and asks that no more than 15 percent of a university's undergraduate population participate in the Student Visa Exchange Program.

It also asks the universities to freeze tuition rates for the next five years and bans factors like race, nationality and political views from being considered in admissions.

UT Austin Professor of Education David DeMatthews calls this a "new strategy" from the administration to influence what happens in higher education.

"I'd say it's relatively unprecedented to see something like this come down, and I think, you know, it definitely has people in higher education circles all across the country talking about what it means," DeMatthews said. "Just seeing the federal government, you know, take aim at a variety of topics and issues that are typically controlled at a local level in universities."

KVUE reached out to UT to ask if the university will sign the agreement. We received this statement from the UT system in response.

"The University of Texas System is honored that our flagship —The University of Texas at Austin—has been named as one of only nine institutions in the U.S. selected by the Trump Administration for potential funding advantages under its new 'Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.'

We enthusiastically look forward to engaging with university officials and reviewing the compact immediately.

Higher education has been at a crossroads in recent years, and we have worked very closely with Governor Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick and Speaker Burrows to implement sweeping changes for the benefit of our students and to strengthen our institutions to best serve the people of Texas.

Today we welcome the new opportunity presented to us and we look forward to working with the Trump Administration on it.

Statement by U.T. System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife"

However, some UT students feel differently.

"I really hope to see UT stand up for itself and hope to not implement those standards," sophomore Smeet Jaokar said.

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