Columbia University announced on Wednesday that it will pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in a settlement with President Donald Trump’s administration. This agreement aims to resolve federal probes and lead to the restoration of most of its suspended federal funding. Since returning to office in January, Trump has targeted several universities over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that disrupted college campuses last year. He publicly welcomed the agreement between his administration and Columbia in a social media post late on Wednesday.
In March, the Trump administration had penalized Columbia for its handling of last year’s protests by canceling $400 million in federal funding. It contended that Columbia’s response to alleged antisemitism and harassment of Jewish and Israeli members of the university community was insufficient. “Under today’s agreement, 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 university stated.
Columbia also confirmed it agreed to settle investigations initiated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $21 million. The university emphasized that its deal with the Trump administration preserved its “autonomy and authority over faculty hiring, admissions, and academic decision-making.” Following the government’s funding cancellation, the school acquiesced later in March to a series of demands. These included increased scrutiny of departments offering courses on the Middle East and other concessions that drew widespread condemnation from U.S. academics.
Last week, Columbia adopted a controversial definition of antisemitism that equates it with opposition to Zionism. The school also stated it would no longer engage with the pro-Palestinian group Columbia University Apartheid Divest. “Imagine selling your students out just so you can pay Trump $221 million dollars and keep funding genocide,” the pro-Palestinian group said on Wednesday, labeling the settlement a bribe.
Campus protesters had demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza and a commitment that the university would cease investing any of its $14.8 billion endowment in weapons manufacturers and companies supporting Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that Columbia agreed “to discipline student offenders for severe disruptions of campus operations, make structural changes to their Faculty Senate, bring viewpoint diversity to their Middle Eastern studies programs, eliminate race preferences from their hiring and admissions practices, and end DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs.”
The government has characterized pro-Palestinian protesters as antisemitic. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, argue that the government has wrongly conflated their criticism of Israel’s actions with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism. Wednesday’s announcement followed Columbia disciplining dozens of students a day earlier over a May pro-Palestinian protest where demonstrators occupied its main library.
The agreement requires Columbia to “undertake a comprehensive review of its international admissions processes and policies.” Within 30 days, Columbia must designate an administrator, accountable to the university president, to oversee compliance with the deal. The agreement also mandates Columbia to appoint an additional administrator to examine alleged antisemitism and propose recommendations.
Trump’s administration has also attempted to leverage federal funding with other institutions, including Harvard University. It has sought to deport foreign pro-Palestinian students, including those at Columbia, but has encountered judicial obstacles. Rights advocates have raised concerns regarding due process, academic freedom, and free speech.
