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Columbia University to pay $221 million in deal with Trump

Mahima Kapoor with AP and Reuters
July 24, 2025

The Ivy League school said the settlement of Trump's investigations will restore a vast majority of its $400 million in annual federal funding.

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Protesters raise Palestinian and an Israeli flag during a demonstration at Columbia University in October 2024
The university was at the center of pro-Palestinian campus protests in the spring of 2024Image: Aya Ibrahim/DW

Columbia University has agreed to pay $221 million (€188 million) to the federal government in a deal to settle the investigations into the school's campus and restore federal funding, it announced on Wednesday.

This includes a $200 million payment over three years to settle antisemitism investigations and a $21 million payout to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"Importantly, the agreement preserves Columbia's autonomy and authority over faculty hiring, admissions, and academic decision-making," the university said in a statement.

The deal means that a "vast majority" of federal grants that were terminated or paused in March will be reinstated.

Acting University President Claire Shipman said it "marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty." 

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Falling in line

The settlement deal comes a day after the university said it had "sanctioned" dozens of students for their role in staging pro-Palestinian protests on campus in May 2025 and the spring of 2024. The disciplinary actions include suspensions, probations, expulsions and revocations of degrees.

Columbia was the epicenter of nationwide campus protests last year against the war in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump's administration has put intense pressure on the prestigious university and others, accusing them of failing to address alleged antisemitism. 

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The school agreed to implement a series of contentious policy reforms after Trump pulled its $400 million in federal grant funds. The US president alleged the pro-Palestinian activists harassed Jewish and Israeli students. Protesting students, which included several Jewish students, denied Trump's claims.

The school's reforms include overhauling the student disciplinary process, changing the definition of antisemitism, appointing new Jewish faculty, reviewing its Middle East curriculum and ending programs with diversity, equality and inclusion goals.

Edited by: Sean Sinico