The White House has also moved to pull funding from the University of Maine after alleging that it violated federal law by permitted transgender students to compete on women's sports teams. UPenn receives more than $1bn in federal funding each year, according to the Daily Pennsylvanian student newspaper.

The Trump administration has suspended $175 million in funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its transgender sports policies, the White House said on Wednesday, its latest effort to force schools to fall in line with its policies.

The investigation focuses on a student athlete, who swam on the school's women's team and was the first openly transgender athlete.