Columbia University settles with the Trump administration for a sum of $200 million.
Columbia University has reached a settlement with the U.S. government, agreeing to pay $221 million to resolve multiple federal civil rights investigations. The agreement, announced on Wednesday, comes after months of dispute over federal funding and allegations of anti-Jewish discrimination and other federal antidiscrimination law violations.
The settlement includes a payment of $200 million over three years to address discriminatory practices, and an additional $21 million to settle claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. This deal enables Columbia to regain billions in previously withheld federal research funding, including over $400 million in grants cancelled earlier in 2025.
Key elements of the settlement include substantial reforms, such as ending programs that promote race-based diversity targets or similar efforts deemed unlawful, limiting consideration of race in admissions beyond recent Supreme Court rulings, and ceasing the use of race-related narratives or personal statements as justification for discrimination. The agreement also institutes oversight by an independent monitor.
Columbia has also committed to revising campus protest rules, shifting disciplinary authority from faculty to administrators, banning face masks or coverings meant to conceal identity, and enhancing campus safety measures such as hiring special safety officers.
Acting President Claire Shipman stated that the settlement safeguards academic independence and allows essential research and federal funding partnerships to resume. However, the university did not admit wrongdoing but acknowledged the need for reform after "painful, unacceptable incidents" affecting Jewish students and faculty.
The settlement forms part of a broader Trump administration initiative to hold elite universities accountable for campus antisemitism and discrimination, urging fairness, merit-based standards, and compliance with federal civil rights laws.
In addition to the settlement, Columbia University agreed to nine demands from the Trump administration, including banning masks and stricter controls over its Middle East studies department. Earlier this week, the school said it was disciplining more than 70 students over two pro-Palestinian protests on the campus in the spring.
The agreement between Columbia University and the Trump administration ends a months-long dispute over federal funding, with a vast majority of the federal grants which were terminated or paused in March being reinstated. This includes those terminated by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The reinstated grants are intended to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in critical financial support to the university. In late April 2024, pro-Palestinian protesters barricaded themselves inside Hamilton Hall, leading to several arrests. The students involved in the incident were later expelled, suspended, or had their degrees temporarily revoked.
President Donald Trump celebrated the agreement on social media, stating that it sends a strong message that discrimination will not be tolerated on college campuses. The settlement marks a significant step towards promoting a non-discriminatory, safer campus environment at Columbia University.
- The settlement between Columbia University and the U.S. government, involving a payment of $221 million, addresses not only discriminatory practices but also antisemitic employment discrimination, especially after the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023.
- As part of the settlement, Columbia University has agreed to substantial reforms such as ceasing programs that promote race-based diversity targets, limiting consideration of race in admissions, and ending the use of race-related narratives or personal statements as justification for discrimination.
- The political landscape of higher education has been influenced by this settlement, as it forms part of a broader Trump administration initiative to hold elite universities accountable for campus antisemitism and discrimination, with a focus on fairness, merit-based standards, and compliance with federal civil rights laws.
