A Columbia deal could restore $400 million in frozen federal grants—but critics warn the agreement lacks real reform. Columbia University is nearing a deal with the Trump administration that would require the school to compensate victims of unlawful discrimination and increase transparency in its hiring and admissions processes, sources familiar revealed.
The draft deal would see the university reclaim most of the $400 million in grants frozen by the federal task force on anti‑Semitism. In exchange, Columbia would adopt measures to combat race discrimination and anti‑Semitism. A senior White House official said the agreement would “solidify reporting obligations related to foreign gifts” and ensure that “victims of civil rights abuses will be compensated.” The university would also publicly disclose hiring and admissions data to demonstrate compliance with the Supreme Court’s affirmative-action ban—overseen by Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights.
But the deal omits a consent decree and governance reforms originally demanded. Critics argue it fails to drive the systemic culture change needed to combat the campus unrest that erupted after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack. One source close to Columbia said, “The Jewish community at Columbia wants a deal, but it should be a good, strong deal that leads to fundamental transformation and culture change at Columbia.”
A senior administration official added, “Columbia is unlikely to be able to uphold even the quite lenient terms of the agreement because Columbia doesn’t actually want to change—they just want their federal grants turned back on.”
