University also agrees to federal oversight after Trump administration paused funding over claims of antisemitism
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration reached a “historic agreement” with Columbia University, which will pay $200 million to the US government to settle federal discrimination claims and regain access to billions in federal funding.
“Columbia has agreed to pay a penalty of $200 million to the United States Government for violating Federal Law, in addition to over $20 million to their Jewish employees who were unlawfully targeted and harassed,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
He said the university’s leadership had committed to “admitting students based ONLY on MERIT” and pledged to protect the civil liberties of its students on campus.
“Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money… are upcoming,” Trump added, suggesting further action is being prepared against other universities.
Columbia University said the settlement would be paid over three years and resolves claims that it discriminated against Jewish students. The university said the agreement will result in the restoration of most of the $400 million in federal grants that were suspended or canceled by the Trump administration in March.
The settlement includes an additional $21 million to conclude investigations by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over allegations of bias in employment and campus safety.
“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 Ivy League school said.
As part of the agreement, Columbia will be subject to federal monitoring of its admissions and hiring practices and will share information about some foreign students with immigration officials.
The Trump administration had accused Columbia of “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students” and suspended key federal funds, including grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services.
In response to earlier pressure, the university had already accepted nine federal demands, including a ban on protest masks and enhanced oversight of its Middle East studies program.
Trump praised the deal, calling it a “great honor to have been involved,” and thanked Columbia for “agreeing to do what is right.”
“Numerous other Higher Education Institutions that have hurt so many, and been so unfair and unjust, and have wrongly spent federal money… are upcoming,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Columbia said Wednesday’s deal “builds on its broader commitment to combating antisemitism.”
Earlier this week, the school disciplined more than 70 students over pro-Palestinian protests, including a takeover of Butler Library in May. That followed earlier unrest tied to the Israel-Hamas war, including the barricading of Hamilton Hall, which resulted in arrests and disciplinary measures such as suspensions, expulsions, or temporary revocation of degrees.
In March, the Trump administration announced the termination of federal grants to Columbia over what it described as the university’s failure to act on repeated incidents of antisemitism. The agreement now restores most of that funding while placing the university under oversight and ending controversial DEI practices.
