Columbia to pay $221 million in deal with Trump

Columbia University has agreed to pay $221 million to the federal government in a deal to settle the investigations into the school’s campus and restore federal funding, it announced on Wednesday.

This includes a payment of $200 million over three years to settle anti-semitism investigations and a $21 million payout to the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

“Importantly, the agreement preserves Columbia’s autonomy and authority over faculty hiring, admissions, and academic decision-making,” the university said in a statement.

The deal means that a “vast majority” of federal grants that were terminated or paused in March will be reinstated.

It “marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” acting University President Claire Shipman said.

The settlement deal comes a day after the university said it had “sanctioned” dozens of students for their role in staging pro-Palestinian protests on campus in May 2025 and the spring of 2024. The disciplinary actions include suspensions, probations, expulsions and revication of degrees.

Columbia was the epicenter of nationwide campus protests last year against the war in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has put intense pressure on the prestigious university and others, accusing them of failing to address alleged antisemitism.

The school agreed to implement a series of contentious policy reforms after Trump pulled its $400 million in federal grant funds. The US president alleged the pro-Palestinian activists harassed Jewish and Israeli students.

Protesting students, which included several Jewish students, denied Trump’s claims.

The school’s reforms include an overhauled student disciplinary process, changing the definition of antisemitism, appointing new Jewish faculty, reviewing its Middle East curriculum and ending programs with diversity, equality and Inclusion goals.