Columbia University Reaches $220M Settlement with Trump Admin

Columbia University has agreed to pay $220 million to address discrimination claims and antisemitism on campus, and has taken steps to reform its practices, after the Trump White House cut off grant support, putting it under scrutiny for its poor record on antisemitism. The university has punished over 70 students for antisemitic behavior, with some suspended and others expelled, and has promised to stop racial discrimination in hiring and admissions, and share its data with the feds to vet potential terror-aligned individuals.

Columbia University has agreed to pay over $220 million and implement several policy changes to settle allegations of violating Jewish students' civil rights. The settlement, reached after four months of negotiations with the Trump administration, includes $200 million to settle discrimination claims and $20 million to Jewish employees who faced discrimination. Columbia will also reverse racially discriminatory practices, enhance vetting for foreign applicants, and step up security measures to prevent anti-Israel protests. The university will be subject to independent monitoring to ensure compliance and will lose $400 million in research grants and $1.2 billion in federal funding if it fails to meet the terms. The agreement is seen as a significant win for the Trump administration and may put pressure on other universities, such as Harvard, to address similar issues.

Columbia University has agreed to pay a $200 million fine to settle allegations from the Trump administration that it failed to protect Jewish students from harassment. The settlement, which also includes a $21 million payment to settle investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is part of a deal to restore the university's federal research funding. In exchange, Columbia will pledge to follow laws banning the consideration of race in admissions and hiring and will implement measures to reduce antisemitism and unrest on campus. The deal, overseen by an independent monitor, will restore most of the over $400 million in grants terminated or frozen by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services. The agreement is seen as a significant milestone in the Trump administration's efforts to hold universities accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment.

Columbia University has reached an agreement with the Trump administration to pay $200 million in penalties and meet certain demands in exchange for the return of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding. The agreement, effective for three years, is not an admission of guilt or liability by either party. Columbia will abide by pledges to reduce antisemitism and rein in protests on campus, including appointing new faculty with affiliations to the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, maintaining restrictions on protests inside academic buildings, and employing public safety officers with arrest powers. The university will also follow the law in areas important to the Trump administration, including affirmative action, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and international student enrollment. A monitor will be appointed to ensure compliance, and a whistle-blower hotline will be established. The deal will allow Columbia to regain access to federal research funding, estimated to be around $1.3 billion annually, and settle pending investigations and compliance reviews. The agreement contains a provision stating that it does not give the US authority to dictate faculty hiring, university hiring, admissions decisions, or academic speech.