Columbia University to Pay $220 Million to Regain Federal Funding Amid Antisemitism Scandal

In what President Donald Trump called a “historic agreement,” Columbia University has agreed to pay $220 million in penalties and compensation after the U.S. government cut off its federal funding over allegations of rampant antisemitism on campus and systemic failure to protect Jewish students.

The university, considered one of America’s most prestigious, became a flashpoint for anti-Israel and antisemitic activity following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October. Demonstrations escalated into threats, harassment, and open incitement against Jewish students, prompting a federal investigation and eventually, a freeze on federal grants ordered by the Trump administration.

Now, after months of tense negotiations, Columbia has agreed to:

“Columbia has agreed to end the grotesque double standards that Jewish students have faced,” President Trump said in a statement. “This is just the beginning. Universities that weaponized taxpayer money to advance antisemitism and woke indoctrination are going to be held accountable.”

No Admission of Guilt — But a Major Concession

Though Columbia did not admit legal wrongdoing in the settlement, the scale of the financial and policy concessions marks a profound shift in how elite universities respond to accusations of ideological bias and antisemitic incitement.

The university had faced growing pressure from alumni, donors, and Jewish advocacy groups after failing to intervene in a wave of campus events that glorified Hamas, called for the elimination of Israel, and ostracized Jewish students from student government and academic programs.

“This is not about protest. It’s about protection,” said Elana Fishman, a Columbia alumna and civil rights attorney. “No student, regardless of race or religion, should be afraid to walk to class.”

Part of a Larger Crackdown

The Columbia settlement is expected to set a precedent for other elite universities under investigation for misuse of federal funds and civil rights violations. Trump hinted that “several more institutions are next in line,” signaling a broader crackdown on antisemitism in higher education.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who led the government’s task force on campus discrimination, hailed the deal as “a turning point in restoring academic integrity and student safety.”

For Jewish students and their families, the Columbia case is more than a financial settlement. It’s a validation of a reality they say was ignored and denied for too long, that antisemitism is alive, evolving, and deeply embedded in elite academic institutions. Now, for the first time in decades, there are real consequences.