Columbia University has agreed to pay $200 million (approximately Rs 1,670 crore) to the Trump administration following allegations that it failed to protect Jewish students during last year’s Israel-Gaza war protests.
The settlement, to be paid over three years, was jointly announced by the university and the federal government. In return, a portion of the $400 million in federal grants that had been frozen in March will be restored, as per a report by BBC.
Columbia was the first university targeted under the administration’s broader campaign to penalise institutions over alleged antisemitism and ideological bias. The protests at Columbia’s New York City campus, particularly the pro-Palestine encampment, sparked months of federal scrutiny.
In March, the university agreed to a set of reforms demanded by the White House, and the newly announced deal formalises many of those changes.
“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” said Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president.
She stressed that while the university did not admit wrongdoing, the settlement would help restore its essential research partnerships and protect its independence, added BBC.
What are these reforms?
The reforms included in the agreement are wide-ranging. They codified several changes Columbia had already enacted: restructuring its Middle Eastern Studies department, appointing a team of “special officers” authorised to remove or arrest disruptive students, and tightening campus protest rules.
These include banning face masks during demonstrations, requiring a valid campus ID for protesters, expanding campus security, and increasing oversight of student groups. Disciplinary action is also underway against students involved in the Gaza solidarity encampment.
The settlement comes amid a broader push by the Trump administration to reshape higher education.
