The Department of Defense is considering halting graduate tuition assistance for active-duty military members studying at GW and 33 other private universities, citing alleged bias against the U.S. military and “troublesome partnerships” with foreign adversaries.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent an internal memo last week, which CNN first obtained, labelling GW as one of the universities at a “moderate to high risk” of losing graduate military tuition assistance for the 2026-27 academic year as the department investigates graduate programs that may “diminish critical thinking” or have “significant adversary involvement.” GW reports that over 1,100 military-affiliated students attend the University, about 16 percent of whom are active-duty service members, on the Military & Veteran Services website, which officials last updated in August 2024.
DOD paid GW about $892,000 in fiscal year 2025 for “tuition and fees,” excluding the amount the University received for its NROTC program, according to government data tracking agencies’ expenditures. University spokesperson Julia Garbitt declined to disclose the number of students who currently use military tuition assistance benefits.
Officers, warrant officers and enlisted active-duty service personnel of all military branches are eligible to receive DOD tuition assistance for voluntary, off-duty education programs in support of their personal and professional goals. Both undergraduate and graduate programs are eligible for tuition assistance under the program, but Hegseth’s memo states the department is specifically evaluating graduate programs.
DOD tuition assistance is different from the GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program, which provide tuition assistance benefits to veterans, and the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, a scholarship program aimed at training and commissioning new naval officers, typically offered to students starting their undergraduate education.
Hegseth first mentioned the review in a video posted to his X account on Feb. 6, announcing that Harvard University and other U.S. universities with “pervasive institutional bias” would lose eligibility for DOD tuition assistance programs. Hegseth said the DOD must focus on maximizing its return on investment when officers and enlisted service members attend expensive civilian universities, ensuring they emerge “more capable war fighters.”
The DOD memo also instructs the military services to determine whether the universities deliver a “cost-effective, strategic education” when compared to public universities and military master’s programs.
Garbitt said GW has not received any direct notification or communication from the DOD regarding GW’s potential loss of military tuition assistance next academic year.
“The University is proud to support members of the military and veterans through its programs, which includes a robust Office of Military and Veteran Services and our NROTC program,” Garbitt said in an email.
Garbitt declined to comment on when the University became aware of the memo, what steps officials are taking to engage with DOD regarding the memo, their reaction to the allegations that GW may partner with foreign adversaries or engage in anti-military bias or when the University plans to contact potentially impacted students.
The Department of Defense did not return a request for comment about if it has contacted the University regarding the review, what instances of institutional bias or partnerships with foreign adversaries prompted GW’s placement on the list or when the Department will finalize which schools are no longer eligible for active-duty tuition assistance. The DOD also did not return a request for comment on if the review will solely target graduate programs or if it could extend to undergraduate tuition assistance too.
“Unfortunately, America’s highly ranked universities no longer live up to their founding principles of bastions of free speech, open inquiry and committed to the American values that make our country great,” Hegseth said in his video posted to X on Feb. 6.
The DOD review comes amid mounting federal scrutiny that could jeopardize GW’s access to government funding. The University is facing two Department of Justice probes and a State Department proposal that would remove GW from a federally sponsored research program.
The Department of Justice notified the University in January it was investigating GW’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies in admissions and “related matters” for compliance with Title VI, a federal law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color or national origin in any program receiving federal funding. The DOJ launched an earlier probe in August, finding the University acted deliberately indifferent to campus antisemitism and demanding officials negotiate a settlement with the Department.
University President Ellen Granberg confirmed in an email to GW community members early last month that officials met with the DOJ on Jan. 6 for the first time to share the “full array” of measures GW had implemented to combat antisemitism on campus.
State Department officials recommended in November suspending the University from a federal research partnership program connecting faculty and student researchers to department officials to study foreign policy issues because the University openly engages in “DEI hiring practices.” Officials also announced over the summer federal agencies had terminated funding for 47 GW-affiliated research projects over the previous year, most for their alleged ties to DEI programs.
