Columbia University $220M Settlement with Trump

Columbia University has reached a $220 million settlement with the Donald Trump administration to resolve allegations of antisemitism on campus and restore federal funding. The agreement includes a $200 million payment to the United States government over three years and an additional $21 million to the United States — United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for civil rights violations against Jewish employees. In exchange for the settlement, the United States government will reinstate over $400 million in federal grants that were previously withheld. As part of the deal, Columbia University agreed to implement several reforms, including overhauling its student disciplinary process, adopting a new definition of antisemitism, reviewing its Middle East curriculum, appointing new faculty to its Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, and ending programs that promote unlawful race-based diversity targets. The university also committed to issuing reports to a federal monitor and implementing new screening questions for international applicants. This settlement is part of a broader campaign by the Donald Trump administration to reshape American higher education, with other institutions like Harvard University, Cornell University, Northwestern University, Brown University, and Princeton University also facing scrutiny and funding freezes.