Columbia University has agreed to pay $221 million to settle its monthslong legal fight with the Trump administration, according to a statement from the Ivy League school.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Wednesday evening for comment.
Why It Matters
The fine marks a major victory for the Trump administration in its ongoing battles with elite universities over their admissions policies, student activism on campus and a range of other issues.
In Columbia’s case, the administration alleged that the New York City-based university failed to do enough to stop the harassment of Jewish students on campus.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
The deal between the university and the Trump administration clears the way for Columbia to get back hundreds of millions in federal funding in exchange for paying a fine, according to a statement posted to its website on Wednesday.
The school will also pledge to follow federal laws banning entities from considering race in their admissions processes and follow its earlier commitment to reduce antisemitism on campus.
Wednesday’s settlement comes as Columbia has faced harsh blowback from activists and free-speech advocates who accused the Ivy League university of caving to Trump’s demands, while other schools, like Harvard University, have taken a more hard-line stance against the administration.
“Columbia University has reached an agreement with the United States Government to resolve multiple federal agency investigations into alleged violations of federal anti-discrimination laws,” Wednesday’s statement regarding the settlement said. “As part of the resolution, Columbia will pay a $200 million settlement over three years to the federal government.”
It added: “In addition, the University has agreed to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $21 million. Importantly, the agreement preserves Columbia’s autonomy and authority over faculty hiring, admissions, and academic decision-making.”
Columbia’s decision to settle the allegations from the Trump administration comes as multiple lawmakers are meeting with Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who was detained by immigration officials in March for organizing pro-Palestinian student protests on campus while he was a Columbia graduate student.
Khalil’s detention sparked nationwide protests as college students and activists accused the Trump administration of retaliating against Khalil for exercising his First Amendment rights. The administration initially argued that it was protecting the U.S.’s foreign policy interests by detaining Khalil, though it later said it was seeking his detention after accusing Khalil of misrepresenting his personal information on an application for permanent residency.
Khalil has since filed a $20 million civil suit against the administration, which the Department of Homeland Security vowed to fight in a statement earlier this month.
Columbia said its settlement with the Trump administration will restore a “vast majority” of federal grants that were terminated or paused by the government in March and that the school’s “access to billions of dollars in current and future grants” will be reinstated.
What People Are Saying
Trump on Truth Social Wednesday night: “I am pleased to announce that the Trump Administration has reached a historic agreement with Columbia University. Columbia has agreed to pay a penalty of $200 Million Dollars 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.”
The president added: “Columbia has also committed to ending their ridiculous DEI policies, admitting students based ONLY on MERIT, and protecting the Civil Liberties of their 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, much of it from our government, are upcoming. It’s a great honor to have been involved, and I want to thank and congratulate Secretary Linda McMahon, and all those who worked with us on this important deal. I also want to thank and commend Columbia University for agreeing to do what is right. I look forward to watching them have a great future in our Country, maybe greater than ever before!”
Claire Shipman, the acting president of Columbia, said in a statement Wednesday: “This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty. The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track. Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest.”
Hasan Piker, a left-wing activist and one of Trump’s harshest critics, wrote on X earlier Wednesday: “[T]rump is underwater on everything and [C]olumbia is still caving to trump on everything. it seems like some of these institutions were looking for the pretext to go right.”
What Happens Next
Columbia will have its access to federal grants and funding restored as a result of this week’s settlement.
Update 7/23/25, 10:30 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with Trump’s statement on Truth Social.
Update 7/23/25, 9:02 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and context.