Columbia Settles With Administration for $200M

Columbia University announced Wednesday it has agreed to pay a $200 million fine and take a series of actions to settle Trump administration allegations concerning discrimination and harassment of Jewish students, in a deal that ends the freeze on federal research funding. Columbia said the deal restores the vast majority of the $400 million in funding suspended in the spring after campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war, the Washington Post reports. "This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty," said acting President Claire Shipman.

Columbia also will promise to follow laws against considering race in admissions and hiring decisions, as well as stick to other agreements it made in March to combat antisemitism and unrest on campus, per the New York Times. An independent monitor approved by the university and the Trump administration will oversee compliance and report every six months on Columbia's progress. The agreement closes several civil rights investigations into the New York university's actions. White House officials called it a historic settlement that will "restore fairness, merit, and safety in higher education."