Columbia caves to Trump admin with $220 million settlement over civil rights abuses

The resolution, first reported by The New York Post, marks one of the most significant federal interventions in higher education in decades, setting a new precedent for federal oversight of elite academic institutions. The deal follows months of escalating scrutiny into the university’s handling of antisemitic demonstrations, discriminatory hiring and admissions practices, and controversial academic programming related to the Middle East.

Under the terms of the agreement, Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government to resolve claims of systemic discrimination and civil rights violations. Additionally, the school will pay over $20 million in compensation to Jewish faculty and staff who experienced harassment or were targeted during campus protests following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

The Trump administration is touting the settlement as the largest of its kind involving Jewish victims of Title VI violations in nearly two decades.

The resolution also unlocks over $1.2 billion in previously frozen federal research grants and funding, which the administration had withheld pending compliance with a series of civil rights and institutional reform demands. In total, the frozen funds represented roughly 8% of the university’s taxpayer-supported funding.

As part of the deal, Columbia has agreed to submit to independent monitoring to ensure compliance with federal laws and the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action in college admissions. The Ivy League school will also eliminate any admissions or hiring practices that rely on racial preferences, including the use of “diversity statements” or personal essays referencing racial identity.

Additionally, Columbia will increase intellectual diversity among faculty by creating new academic positions dedicated to fostering viewpoint pluralism.

A new Resolution Monitor will issue semiannual public compliance reports through 2028. Grant eligibility will be fully restored once the university demonstrates full implementation of the agreement’s terms.

Columbia has also agreed to overhaul campus security and disciplinary policies after a series of high-profile, disruptive protests engulfed the school in 2024. The reforms include a ban on masked protests, with medical and religious exceptions, a trained security presence on campus in coordination with the NYPD, removal of disciplinary authority from the Faculty Senate, transferring it to the Office of the Provost, and immediate disciplinary action against students involved in the 2024 Hamilton Hall takeover and other anti-Israel demonstrations.

On Tuesday, Columbia announced dozens of students would face suspension or other penalties, with several facing expulsion.

Columbia’s Middle East-related academic programs have also come under federal review. As part of the settlement, several departments will now operate under “academic receivership,” including the Center for Palestine Studies, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies, Middle East Institute, Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, and the international study hubs in Tel Aviv and Amman.

A newly appointed senior vice provost will oversee these programs for at least five years to ensure their offerings are “balanced and comprehensive.”

As part of the agreement, the university’s admissions office will now conduct more rigorous vetting of international applicants, including collecting data on their stated reasons for studying in the US, and report disciplinary actions involving international students to the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

Columbia will also scale back its reliance on foreign student enrollment, citing national security concerns and the risk of illicit funding flows.

The administration also announced a new collaboration between Columbia and counterterrorism experts to prevent foreign adversaries from funneling extremist financing into US academic institutions.

The agreement brings Columbia into compliance with Title IX by barring biological males from competing in women’s sports or using female-designated locker rooms, housing, and other facilities.

Columbia has three years to implement the full list of required reforms or risk losing federal funds again.

The settlement comes after a violent anti-Israel encampment occupied the campus in the spring of 2024, culminating in the storming of Hamilton Hall. University President Minouche Shafik resigned in August 2024, citing “a period of turmoil,” and her interim replacement, Katrina Armstrong, was dismissed in early 2025.

The current acting president, Claire Shipman, previously co-chair of the board of trustees, has faced her own controversy after leaked messages revealed efforts to oust the board’s only Jewish member. She also wanted to name an “Arab” appointee "quickly." Those revelations prompted an apology from Shipman to the Jewish board member. A Columbia University spokesperson at the time said in a statement to The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, “These communications were provided to the Committee in the fall of 2024 and reflect communications from more than a year ago. They are now being published out of context and reflect a particularly difficult moment in time for the University when leaders across Columbia were intensely focused on addressing significant challenges. This work is ongoing, and to be clear: Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism and working with the federal government on this very serious issue… Acting President Claire Shipman has been vocally and visibly committed to eradicating antisemitism on campus.”

The Trump administration has characterized the settlement as a model for restoring constitutional protections and institutional accountability in higher education. It arrives amid broader legal battles with other elite institutions, most notably , which has filed suit to challenge the administration’s decision to revoke over $2.6 billion in federal grants.