The Trump administration is celebrating what it considers a major policy victory after securing a settlement with Columbia University over its handling of antisemitic protests and campus unrest over the past two years.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon called the agreement a “legacy achievement” on “Mornings with Maria” on Thursday.
“This is a monumental victory for conservatives who’ve wanted to do things on these elite campuses for a long time,” said McMahon.
“We’re really hopeful that this particular settlement agreement is going to be a template for other universities to follow.”
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Under the agreement, Columbia will pay more than $200 million over three years to resolve allegations of discriminatory practices. An additional $21 million will settle claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty members.
“You can’t have students that are locked into a library on campus, with the students pounding on the windows outside, yelling, ‘Death to Israel, death to Jews,’” McMahon said, referring to protests that erupted at the school’s Butler Library in May.
Earlier this week, Columbia University’s judicial board expelled, suspended, or revoked the degrees of more than 70 students for their involvement in demonstrations calling on the university to divest from companies linked to Israel.
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The group behind the protests, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, expressed frustration over the disciplinary actions and condemned the university’s agreement with the Trump administration, calling it a “bribe” and accusing the school of “selling” its own students out.
Columbia will now be required to share admissions data, including the race, GPA and standardized test scores of admitted and rejected students with the federal government.
While McMahon acknowledged the financial penalty was “stiff,” she expressed confidence that Columbia would begin to take corrective action.
“Columbia is, I believe, very serious about this,” she said.
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The agreement follows months of tension between the Trump administration and the Ivy League institution. Earlier this year, the Department of Education formally questioned Columbia’s accreditation, citing its alleged failure to protect Jewish students from harassment and threats.
The administration later canceled more than $400 million in federal grants tied to those concerns. However, as part of the settlement, most of those grants will now be restored. Columbia’s eligibility for future federal research funding, amounting to billions, will also be reinstated.
“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” said Acting Columbia University President Claire Shipman. “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.”
Moving forward, federal oversight will continue. The agreement includes the appointment of an independent monitor to ensure compliance, both on campus and within the Department of Justice.
Columbia did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. However, it codified a series of reforms announced earlier this year. These include revised disciplinary procedures, new campus safety measures, and initiatives aimed at fostering a more respectful and inclusive environment.
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