diff --git a/src/fairseq2/models/loader.py b/src/fairseq2/models/loader.py
index 0f4dabfab..589532e3f 100644
--- a/src/fairseq2/models/loader.py
+++ b/src/fairseq2/models/loader.py
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ def __call__(
         dtype: DataType | None = None,
         force: bool = False,
         progress: bool = True,
-        strict_state_dict: bool = True,
     ) -> ModelT_co:
         """
         :param model_name_or_card:
@@ -99,9 +98,6 @@ def __call__(
             cache.
         :param progress:
             If ``True``, displays a progress bar to stderr.
-        :param strict_state_dict:
-            If ``True``, checkpoint' parameters and layers must be identical to
-            the model state dict)
 
         :returns:
             A model loaded from the checkpoint of ``model_name_or_card``.
@@ -205,7 +201,6 @@ def __call__(
         dtype: DataType | None = None,
         force: bool = False,
         progress: bool = True,
-        strict_state_dict: bool = True,
 
     ) -> ModelT:
         if isinstance(model_name_or_card, AssetCard):
@@ -361,7 +356,7 @@ def __call__(
         consume_prefix_in_state_dict_if_present(state_dict, prefix="module.")
 
         try:
-            load_state_dict(model, state_dict, strict=strict_state_dict)
+            load_state_dict(model, state_dict)
         except (KeyError, ValueError) as ex:
             raise AssetError(
                 f"{card.name} cannot be loaded. See nested exception for details."
@@ -402,7 +397,6 @@ def __call__(
         dtype: DataType | None = None,
         force: bool = False,
         progress: bool = True,
-        strict_state_dict: bool = True,
     ) -> ModelT:
         if isinstance(model_name_or_card, AssetCard):
             card = model_name_or_card
@@ -426,7 +420,6 @@ def __call__(
             dtype=dtype,
             force=force,
             progress=progress,
-            strict_state_dict=strict_state_dict,
         )
 
     def register(self, family: str, loader: ModelLoader[ModelT]) -> None:
diff --git a/src/fairseq2/nn/utils/module.py b/src/fairseq2/nn/utils/module.py
index 02ab7d1d2..e76200599 100644
--- a/src/fairseq2/nn/utils/module.py
+++ b/src/fairseq2/nn/utils/module.py
@@ -431,15 +431,16 @@ def broadcast_module(
     _broadcast_coalesced(pg, tensors, bucket_size, source_rank)
 
 
-def load_state_dict(module: Module, state_dict: Mapping[str, object], strict: bool = True) -> None:
+def load_state_dict(module: Module, state_dict: Mapping[str, object]) -> None:
     """Copy parameters and buffers from ``state_dict`` into ``module`` and its
     descendant modules.
 
-    This implementation internally calls :meth:`Module.load_state_dict()`, and also enforces that
-    ``state_dict`` does not contain any keys corresponding to descendants that are set to ``None``
-    via :meth:`Module.register_module()`.
+    This implementation internally calls :meth:`Module.load_state_dict()` with
+    ``strict`` set to ``True``, and also enforces that ``state_dict`` does not
+    contain any keys corresponding to descendants that are set to ``None`` via
+    :meth:`Module.register_module()`.
     """
-    module.load_state_dict(state_dict, strict=strict)
+    module.load_state_dict(state_dict, strict=True)
 
     unexpected_keys = []