Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Columbia to pay $221 million in federal settlement over discrimination probes
By
Phil Corso
and
Jessica Gould
Published Jul 23, 2025
Modified Jul 23, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Phil Corso
and
Jessica Gould
Published Jul 23, 2025
Modified Jul 23, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Columbia University has reached a settlement with the federal government resolving multiple investigations and restoring access to hundreds of millions of dollars in frozen research funding, officials said Wednesday.
The university will pay more than $220 million, including $200 million over three years to the federal government and another $21 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The deal follows months of scrutiny from the Trump administration, which accused Columbia of failing to adequately address antisemitic harassment on campus.
University leaders said the stakes were high, with annual research funding at risk, along with the potential loss of top scientists, accreditation and potentially student visa eligibility.
Although the university did not admit wrongdoing in a statement, officials acknowledged that Jewish students and faculty have faced serious and unacceptable incidents on campus and said reform was necessary and already underway.
A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The agreement allows Columbia to resume applying for federal research funding and restores the vast majority of paused or canceled grants, including those from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Health and Human Services. The university said remaining funding gaps reflect broader federal cutbacks.
The agreement will now be monitored by an independent third party and the university will submit regular compliance reports. Columbia will also move forward with policy changes it first announced in March, including new disciplinary protocols, campus safety upgrades and expanded training programs.
This comes just days after the university announced that more than 70 students are being disciplined for participating in a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia’s Butler Library in May, and a week after it unveiled a series of “commitments to combatting antisemitism.”
Those measures include adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s controversial definition of antisemitism, which some critics said conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish hate, and partnering with multiple Jewish and pro-Israel groups. Columbia has also pledged “zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment based on protected traits, including Jewish and Israeli identity.”
University leaders said the deal affirms Columbia’s autonomy in academic decisions while also committing to ongoing reforms.
Acting President Claire Shipman called the settlement “an important step forward,” and said it safeguards Columbia’s academic independence and research mission.
Shipman said the resolution would allow critical medical and scientific research to resume after months of uncertainty. She also said the agreement preserves Columbia’s control over faculty hiring, admissions and academic speech, which she described as “our north star.”
“Today’s agreement with the federal government affirms Columbia’s unyielding commitment to academic freedom, freedom of expression, and open inquiry,” Board of Trustees Co-Chairs David Greenwald and Jeh Johnson said in a statement. “It confirms the changes already underway at Columbia to meaningfully address antisemitism on our campus and allows the university to continue to undertake its transformative research and scholarship.”
This story has been updated with additional comment from Acting President Claire Shipman.
Tagged
Politics
education
new york city
Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .