The Trump administration cancelled $400 million in grants to the university and has probed 60 other institutions over alleged failures to combat anti-Semitism.
As the 2024–2025 academic year winds down, higher education institutions across the nation will be watching Columbia University closely.
On March 7, President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded $400 million in federal grants to Columbia due to the school’s “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
Columbia, which receives more than $5 billion in federal grants, was among the five schools initially identified in an investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights that cited an explosion in anti-Semitism on American university campuses following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks against Israel.
The scope of the investigations was later expanded to 60 additional colleges and universities, according to a March 10 letter from the civil rights office.
The New York City-based Ivy League school is an early example of how Trump’s executive orders banning anti-Semitism and other practices that violate the 1964 Civil Rights Act can play out.
Colleges and universities with $1-billion-plus endowments were told they’d be scrutinized first.
Former Columbia University President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik resigned in August, the third Ivy League president to do so last year following months of criticism on how she handled protests against the war in Gaza.
Students set up and occupied pro-Palestinian encampments on the campus for six weeks, calling on the school to divest from corporations supporting Israel.
They also took over a campus building, Hamilton Hall.
There were several clashes between protesters and police before the encampments were disbanded in early June, and Shafik was criticized for failing to de-escalate the situation or address the anti-Semitism and the disruptions these events caused to the university.
Following the initial announcement of the $400 million funding loss, interim president Katrina Armstong promised to combat anti-Semitism and said she would work with the Trump administration in hopes of reversing the federal aid cut.
“Columbia is taking the government’s action very seriously,” Armstrong said in a March 7 announcement.
“I want to assure the entire Columbia community that we are committed to working with the federal government to address their legitimate concerns.
“To that end, Columbia can, and will, continue to take serious action toward combatting antisemitism on our campus. This is our No. 1 priority.”
A week after announcing the cuts to Columbia, the Department of Education followed up with a letter to Armstrong, outlining “pre-negotiation” steps for future funding considerations. The deadline for compliance is March 20.
This includes issuing suspensions for students who violated campus policies during pro-Palestinian encampments or building occupations that got out of control.
It also requires the office of the president to take over disciplinary matters from the university judicial board.
Columbia is now required to implement a mask ban so that students cannot conceal their identity; however, if a student identification badge is visible, exceptions are allowed for health or religious reasons, the letter said.
