Federal institutions of higher learning under investigation by the Trump administration for receiving federal funds
In recent times, U.S. colleges have been navigating a challenging landscape, as they respond to pressure from the Trump administration over federal research funding and allegations of antisemitism, racial bias, and discriminatory admissions policies.
The administration's actions have resulted in the suspension or cancellation of billions of dollars in research funds for several universities. For instance, Columbia University faced a significant pullback of federal funding, amounting to billions, due to perceived failures in addressing antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war. As a response, Columbia agreed to overhaul its student disciplinary process and apply a federally backed definition of antisemitism to teaching and disciplinary committee investigations into students critical of Israel.
Similarly, Brown University agreed to adopt the government's definition of "male" and "female" and remove any consideration of race from the admissions process. In a bid to restore dozens of lost federal research grants, Brown agreed to pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations.
Other institutions, such as Harvard and UCLA, are currently in negotiations with the White House while also fighting in court over the lost grants. UCLA, for example, confronted a suspension of over $300 million in federal funding, representing more than a quarter of its annual federal funding. The University of California system and UCLA are assessing legal options as they continue negotiations.
The Ivy League schools Columbia, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania have reached agreements to resolve federal investigations. Columbia University agreed to pay a $200 million fine to restore federal funding, while the University of Pennsylvania reached a July agreement to modify school records and apologize to female athletes due to actions by a transgender swimmer.
The deals between the universities and the administration come with clauses that preserve institutional independence. For instance, the deal between Columbia and the administration includes a clause stating that the government does not have the authority to dictate "hiring, admission decisions, or the content of academic speech."
These federal actions are seen as part of a broader Trump administration agenda aiming to reshape higher education policy. Institutions have responded by carefully weighing the risks and benefits of litigation versus settlement, protecting institutional independence, and confronting the financial and reputational stakes of federal funding suspensions.
As the Trump administration exits office, it remains to be seen how these ongoing disputes will be resolved and what impact they will have on U.S. higher education in the future.
- The government's definition of "male" and "female" has been adopted by not only Columbia University and Brown University, but also Brown University has agreed to remove any consideration of race from its admissions process.
- Institutions like Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania have agreed to settle federal investigations, demonstrating a shift towards education-and-self-development issues such as tackling racial bias in admissions policies and addressing antisemitism, amidst the broader Trump administration's agenda aiming to reshape higher education policy.
