To prohibit the use of funds for universities that provide support to the People’s Liberation Army, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
The CAMPUS Act (Countering Adversarial and Malicious Partnerships at Universities and Schools Act of 2025) targets Chinese universities involved in the People's Liberation Army's Military-Civil Fusion strategy. The Director of National Intelligence must identify Chinese institutions supporting the PLA and publish a list every year. The bill then: (1) prohibits DoD research funds from going to any entity with contracts with these listed institutions; (2) bars facilities of such entities from receiving security clearances for classified information; (3) allows the State Department to deny student and exchange visitor visas to students and employees of listed institutions; (4) prohibits Department of Education K-12 funding from going to schools with contracts with any PRC-domiciled entity; (5) prohibits federal research grants to entities contracting with listed institutions or Commerce Department Entity List organizations; and (6) lowers the threshold for universities to report foreign gifts from ,000 to ,000. As an alternative to PRC-linked language programs, the bill encourages and funds Mandarin instruction partnerships through Taiwan's representative offices.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Restricts US university and K-12 school partnerships with Chinese institutions linked to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) through Military-Civil Fusion, cuts off federal research funding to entities with such partnerships, denies visas to students/employees of identified institutions, lowers foreign gift disclosure thresholds, and promotes Taiwan-based Mandarin education alternatives.
Who Benefits
- US defense and intelligence agencies
- Taiwan-based Mandarin education programs
- US universities not partnered with PLA-linked institutions
Who Bears Costs
- US universities with existing Chinese research partnerships
- Chinese students and researchers from PLA-linked institutions
- K-12 schools with Chinese educational partnerships (e.g., Confucius Classrooms)
Key Policy Areas
{'domain': 'Defense', 'evidence': 'Sections 2-4 target DoD research funding and classified facility access tied to PLA-linked institutions'}, {'domain': 'Education', 'evidence': 'Sections 6-7 restrict K-12 funding for PRC contracts and create grants for Taiwan-partnered Mandarin programs; Section 9 lowers HEA foreign gift disclosure threshold'}, {'domain': 'Foreign Affairs', 'evidence': 'The bill fundamentally addresses US-China strategic competition and promotes US-Taiwan educational partnerships'}, {'domain': 'Immigration', 'evidence': 'Section 5 authorizes visa denial for students/employees of PLA-linked Chinese institutions'}
Primary Purpose
Restricts US university and K-12 school partnerships with Chinese institutions linked to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) through Military-Civil Fusion, cuts off federal research funding to entities with such partnerships, denies visas to students/employees of identified institutions, lowers foreign gift disclosure thresholds, and promotes Taiwan-based Mandarin education alternatives.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Multi-pronged decoupling of US academic institutions from Chinese universities linked to PLA Military-Civil Fusion, using funding restrictions, visa controls, and disclosure requirements while providing a Taiwan-based alternative for Mandarin education"
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Lankford introduced the following bill; which was read twice …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Chinese educational organizations (e.g., Confucius Classrooms), Chinese students and researchers from PLA-linked universities, Chinese universities linked to PLA Military-Civil Fusion
Positive-direction: K-12 schools and universities seeking Mandarin programs, Taiwan-based Mandarin education programs, US universities without PLA-linked partnerships
Negative-direction: Chinese educational organizations (e.g., Confucius Classrooms), Chinese students and researchers from PLA-linked universities, Chinese universities linked to PLA Military-Civil Fusion, Chinese universities under PRC Ministry of Education or SASTIND, K-12 schools with Chinese educational partnerships, US research institutions and companies with Chinese partnerships, US universities recruiting Chinese graduate students, US universities with Chinese research partnerships
Defense contractors with Chinese academic ties, US defense and intelligence community, US national security
Positive-direction: US defense and intelligence community, US national security
Negative-direction: Defense contractors with Chinese academic ties
American Institute in Taiwan, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Positive-direction: American Institute in Taiwan
Negative-direction: Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "dni"
- → Director of National Intelligence
- "secdef"
- → Secretary of Defense
- "dcsa_director"
- → Director of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
- "secretary_of_state"
- → Secretary of State
- "ait"
- → American Institute in Taiwan
- "secretary_of_education"
- → Secretary of Education
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An institution under the control or supervision, in whole or in part, of the Ministry of Education of the PRC or the State Administration of Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defense of the PRC
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology