Administration of Trump agrees to a $221 million settlement with Columbia University, aiming to address accusations of antisemitism.
In a landmark agreement, Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration, committing to pay over $220 million to resolve investigations into alleged civil rights violations related to antisemitism.
The settlement, which was reached in July 2025, comes after the university was accused of allowing a hostile environment for Jewish students and faculty during the Israel-Hamas conflict beginning in October 2023. The Trump administration withheld over $400 million in federal research grants in early 2025, citing the university's failure to adequately address antisemitism on campus.
The agreement, which spans three years, includes a $200 million settlement to resolve the civil rights investigations. An additional $21 million will be paid to settle investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The deal restores most of the federal funding that had been pulled and codifies a series of reforms Columbia agreed to under pressure from the administration.
The reforms include overhauling the student disciplinary process, adopting a new, stricter definition of antisemitism, and banning face masks or coverings meant to conceal identity during protests. Columbia has also committed to hiring special safety officers, making structural changes to the Faculty Senate, and bringing viewpoint diversity, especially in Middle Eastern studies.
The university has promised to end programs that promote unlawful efforts to achieve race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity targets, or similar efforts. Columbia will also review its Middle East curriculum to ensure it is "comprehensive and balanced." The settlement also includes asking prospective international students questions designed to elicit their reasons for wishing to study in the United States.
Columbia did not admit wrongdoing in the agreement but acknowledged that Jewish students and faculty had endured painful and unacceptable incidents requiring reform. The university leadership emphasized that the agreement was designed to protect the institution's autonomy and scholarly independence while repairing its research partnerships with the federal government.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed the settlement as a significant step toward holding federally funded institutions accountable for antisemitism and promoting a culture of truth, merit, and civil debate in higher education. The settlement marks a significant turning point in the relationship between Columbia University and the Trump administration, bringing much-needed change to the university's approach to antisemitism and campus safety.
[1] [New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/us/politics/columbia-university-settlement-antisemitism.html) [2] [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/07/01/columbia-university-settlement-antisemitism.html) [3] [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/us/columbia-university-settlement-antisemitism.html) [4] [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2025/07/01/columbia-university-settlement-antisemitism.html)
- The agreement between Columbia University and the Trump administration, as reported by The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and NPR, has resulted in a focus on reform within the university, addressing issues of antisemitism, and enforcing viewpoint diversity, particularly in Middle Eastern studies, as part of a broader commitment to education and self-development.
- The resolution of antisemitism-related investigations at Columbia University, marked by the significant settlement with the Trump administration, also highlights a strengthened federal stance on crime and justice, signaling a greater emphasis on promoting a culture of truth, merit, and civil debate across general-news sectors, including even political domains.
