Columbia Pays Over $200 Million to End Trump Legal Battle

A Major Settlement Between Columbia University and the Trump Administration

Columbia University has reached a significant agreement with the Trump administration, bringing an end to a prolonged conflict that had major implications for U.S. higher education. This resolution marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate about the relationship between academia and the federal government.

As part of the deal, Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government over three years to settle allegations that the university violated antidiscrimination laws. Additionally, the school agreed to settle investigations brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $21 million. In return, the Trump administration will restore nearly all of the hundreds of millions of dollars in research grants it had previously withdrawn from Columbia in March. The university will also be able to access federal funding moving forward.

This agreement does not include a consent decree, which the Trump administration initially sought. A consent decree would have placed responsibility on a federal judge to ensure that Columbia changes its practices. Instead, a “jointly selected independent monitor” will assess Columbia’s compliance with the resolution, focusing on guidelines around admissions and faculty hiring. The resolution names Bart M. Schwartz, a former chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, as the monitor.

“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” said Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman. “Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest.”

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump commended Columbia for “agreeing to do what is right.” He also stated that the university has “committed to ending their ridiculous DEI policies, admitting students based ONLY on MERIT, and protecting the Civil Liberties of their students on campus.”

The federal government canceled $400 million in grants and contracts in March, accusing Columbia of violating civil-rights laws by ignoring what it called harassment of Jewish students after the Hamas attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The Trump administration's battle with Columbia was the first of a series of actions against research universities that rely on federal funds. It helped fulfill a campaign promise made by Trump to rein in progressive ideas at elite universities that he claimed amounted to a “Marxist assault on our American heritage and Western civilization itself.”

Still unresolved is the White House’s fight with Harvard University. On Monday, a federal judge heard arguments from Harvard, which contended the government had no basis to cut $2.2 billion in research funding. Lawyers for the government insisted it has the power to cancel contracts with universities that no longer align with government priorities.

The Trump administration’s moves to reshape higher education have disrupted a half-century-old university business model, upending research and scrambling the careers of thousands of scientists whose work the federal government funds.

Columbia became a target for the Trump administration after pro-Palestinian protests last year led the school to move classes online, while a campus rabbi warned Jewish students against returning to campus after Passover break because he feared the climate wasn’t safe.

Columbia President Minouche Shafik was unable to reconcile the factions and resigned in August 2024 after just 13 months on the job. Earlier this year, interim President Katrina Armstrong stepped down after playing down commitments she had made to the federal government in closed-door meetings with faculty. Shipman, the university board’s co-chair, was named acting president.