Qatar was the top foreign funder, pouring in more than $1 billion into American educational institutions in 2025.
American colleges and universities received more than $5.2 billion in reportable foreign gifts and contracts last year through more than 8,300 transactions, the Department of Education said in a Feb. 11 statement.
The database was compiled from foreign funding disclosures submitted by educational institutions. Such disclosures are mandated by Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which obligates universities and colleges receiving federal funding to annually disclose gifts and contracts from foreign sources valued at $250,000 or more.
The top recipient of foreign funds in 2025 was Carnegie Mellon University, which received almost $1 billion. This was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), also at nearly $1 billion; Stanford University, which got more than $775 million; and Harvard University, which received more than $324 million, the department said.
Qatar was the biggest foreign source of reported gifts and contracts, pouring more than $1 billion into U.S. educational institutions last year. This was followed by the UK at more than $633 million, China at more than $528 million, Switzerland with more than $451 million, Japan with $374 million, Germany at more than $292 million, and Saudi Arabia at more than $285 million.
The data have been made available for public inspection via the foreign funding higher education platform launched earlier this year by the Trump administration. The information is based on reports through Dec. 16, 2025.
Between 1986, when Section 117 was included in the act, and Dec. 16, 2025, a total of $67.6 billion in foreign funding had been reported across 555 institutions, data from the platform show.
Qatar also topped the aggregate list of foreign funding sources at $7.7 billion, followed by China at $6.4 billion and Germany at $4.7 billion.
The top recipient during this period was Harvard, which received $4.2 billion in foreign funding. Carnegie Mellon University came in second at $3.9 billion, followed by MIT with $3.5 billion.
In this multidecade period, Harvard was also the top recipient of funds from parties located in “countries of concern,” at $610 million. MIT was second, receiving more than $490 million, while New York University received more than $462 million to take the third spot.
Foreign countries of concern include China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, and other nations determined as such by the Department of State.
“Thanks to the Trump Administration’s new accountability portal, the American people have unprecedented visibility into the foreign dollars flowing into our colleges and universities—including funding from countries and entities that are involved in activities that threaten America’s national security,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the Education Department statement.
“This marks a new era of transparency for the American people and streamlined compliance for colleges and universities, making it easier than ever for institutions to meet their legal obligations.”
