The Department of Defense may cut off tuition assistance for active-duty service members pursuing graduate education at WashU, along with dozens of other elite universities, according to a memo signed last week by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. 

Harvard University was the only university explicitly named in the Pentagon memo, but graduate programs at other elite universities, like WashU, Brown University, and Columbia University, may also be affected, according to a list compiled by the army and reviewed by CNN.

“In two weeks’ time, components of all of our departments — Army, Navy, and Air Force — will evaluate all existing graduate programs for active duty service members at all Ivy League universities and other civilian universities,” Hegseth said in his Feb. 6 video posted to X.

In an accompanying press release, the Pentagon said graduate programs will be evaluated on whether they are worth the tuition as compared to public universities. 

“The goal is to determine whether or not they actually deliver cost-effective strategic education for future senior leaders when compared to, say, public universities and our military graduate programs,” the press release said. 

According to WashU’s Office of Military & Veteran Services, the Danforth Campus is home to numerous military-connected students, including active-duty service members, veterans, reservists, and military family members. The University also participates in a range of DOD-affiliated educational pathways, including ROTC programs and federally funded scholarship initiatives such as the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship Program. 

Julie Flory, vice chancellor for WashU Marketing and Communications, declined to comment.