UPenn, Carnegie Mellon among schools Pentagon may block from tuition reimbursement

KDKA — Last week, the Pentagon said it may block military members from using tuition aid at many top universities across the country, including Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s statement described the schools as being biased against the U.S. military and sponsoring “troublesome partnerships with foreign adversaries.”

The memo signed by Hegseth rolled out the new policy, and it impacts more than 30 universities and schools, including CMU and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as others such as Harvard and MIT.

Starting with the 2026-27 academic year, the Pentagon will discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs, the statement said.

In his post, Hegseth said officers who were sent to study at Harvard frequently came back with “heads full of globalist and radical ideologies.” He also alleged the university had “fundamentally failed to protect American students and faculty from antisemitic violence and harassment.”

Personnel currently attending classes at Harvard will be able to finish those courses.

KDKA-TV has reached out to Carnegie Mellon for a statement, but has not received a response as of Sunday morning.