Columbia to pay $221M over 3 years in settlement with Trump admin.

UPI

4 days ago

1 of 2 | Students attend the Columbia University commencement ceremony in Manhattan, New York City, on May 21. Pool photo by Jeenah Moon/UPI | License Photo
July 24 (UPI) -- Columbia University announced on Wednesday it will pay $221 million for the New York City private school to settle its dispute with the Trump administration and restore funding.
Under terms of the deal, Columbia won't admit to violating anti-discrimination laws and will pay $200 million to the federal government over three years and a one-time $21 million to settle investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
In return, "a vast majority of the federal grants which were terminated or paused in March 2025 -- will be reinstated and Columbia's access to billions of dollars in current and future grants will be restored," the Ivy League school said in a news release.
This includes funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services.
In March, the federal government revoked $400 million in federal funding over campus protests by pro-Palestinian activists.
Also, the majority of the school's future $1.3 billion in funding had been put on hold, including science research.
Policies already were implemented on March 21 regarding restrictions on demonstrations, new disciplinary procedures and a review of the Middle East curriculum. An independent monitor will oversee the agreement implementation.
The university also agreed to provide the federal government with "all relevant data and information to rigorously assess compliance with its commitment to merit-based hiring and admissions," a senior White House official told CNN.
And Columbia will review its admission procedures and "strengthen oversight of international students," the official said.
"While Columbia does not admit to wrongdoing with this resolution agreement, the institution's leaders have recognized, repeatedly, that Jewish students and faculty have experienced painful, unacceptable incidents, and that reform was and is needed," the university said.
University President Claire Shipman said she was pleased with the settlement.
"The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track," Shipman said in a statement. "Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest."
Shipman also separately addressed the Columbia community, writing "as I have discussed on many occasions with our community, we carefully explored all options open to us. We might have achieved short-term litigation victories, but not without incurring deeper long-term damage -- the likely loss of future federal funding, the possibility of losing accreditation, and the potential revocation of visa status of thousands of international students."
Education Secretary Linda McMahon also touted the settlement.
"The Trump Administration's deal with Columbia University is a seismic shift in our nation's fight to hold institutions that accept American taxpayer dollars accountable for antisemitic discrimination and harassment," she said in a statement.
"For decades, the American public has watched in horror as our elite campuses have been overrun by anti-western teachings and a leftist groupthink that restricts speech and debate to push a one-sided view of our nation and the world. These dangerous trends fueled the outbreak of violent antisemitism that paralyzed campuses after the October 7th massacre and was previously unthinkable in the United States of America."
The announcement came a day after Columbia said it had disciplined dozens of pro-Palestine protesters who had participated in protests in May.
Other elite schools, including Harvard, have been under pressure to adhere to the Trump administration's policies, including cracking down on anti-Semitism and ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.
"Columbia's reforms are a roadmap for elite universities that wish to regain the confidence of the American public by renewing their commitment to truth-seeking, merit, and civil debate," McMahon said. "I believe they will ripple across the higher education sector and change the course of campus culture for years to come."
Harvard has implemented some changes but sued the federal government over a loss of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts.
Trump told CNN earlier this month: "I think we're going to probably settle with Harvard. We're going to probably settle with Columbia. They want to settle very badly. There's no rush."
Shipman had been concerned about the effects on research.
"Columbia's top scientists are facing the decimation of decades of research," Shipman said in a letter on June 12. "Graduate students, postdocs, mid-career researchers, and established, celebrated scientists, have all had their breakthroughs lauded by the world one minute and defunded the next. We're in danger of reaching a tipping point in terms of preserving our research excellence and the work we do for humanity."
The university had a total enrollment of 26,272 graduate students and 9,111 undergrads in the 2024-2025 academic year. Tuition is $70,000-pus each year with about 90% getting student aid.
About 40% of the student body are international students, Politico reported.
Jewish students comprise 19% undergraduates and 15.9% graduate students, according to Hillel International.
"This announcement is an important recognition of what Jewish students and their families have expressed with increasing urgency: antisemitism at Columbia is real, and it has had a tangible impact on Jewish students' sense of safety and belonging and, in turn, their civil rights," Brian Cohen, executive director of Columbia/Barnard Hillel, posted on X. "Acknowledging this fact is essential, and along with the new path laid out by the President and Trustees, I am hopeful that today's agreement marks the beginning of real, sustained change."