Pentagon chief Hegseth says officers will stop attending Ivy League programs

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at Mar-a-Lag, Jan. 3, 2026, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The U.S. Defense Department will stop sending officers on professional courses and graduate programs at Ivy League colleges, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Friday, declaring the schools had become “anti-American.”

The ban will come into effect from the academic year 2026-27, he said in a video posted to X.

The Trump administration is cracking down on universities over a range of issues, including diversity programs, transgender policies and pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel’s assault on 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 said.

“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,” he added.

Earlier this month Hegseth said he would cancel professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs with Harvard University.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; Editing by Daphne Psaledakis and David Ljunggren)