


Under an agreement between Columbia University and the Trump administration on Wednesday, the institution will pay $200 million in penalties and meet other demands in exchange for the return of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding. Here’s what we know about the terms of the deal:
Who is this agreement between?
It is between Columbia and various agencies of the federal government, including the Departments of Justice, Education and Health and Human Services. The agreement — effective for three years — states that it is not an admission of guilt or liability by either party, but rather a settlement to avoid the burdens and risks of litigation.
What does the agreement say about antisemitism?
To settle civil rights claims against the university for allegedly failing to protect students from antisemitic harassment, Columbia will pay a fine of $200 million to the federal government over three years, in three annual installments.
Columbia also agrees to abide by pledges it made in March to the Trump administration to reduce antisemitism and rein in protests on campus. Among them: Columbia will keep its new senior vice provost, who will review Columbia’s regional studies programs, including their leadership and curricula, starting with the university’s Middle East programs. Columbia will appoint new faculty who have affiliations with the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies and other departments. The university will maintain restrictions that bar students from protesting inside academic buildings, and will require that demonstrators wearing masks show identification when asked. Columbia also agrees to employ some public safety officers with arrest powers.
To further support Jewish life on campus, Columbia will add an administrator to serve as a liaison to students experiencing antisemitism issues.
What else does Columbia agree to do?
The university also pledges to follow the law in areas important to the Trump administration.
For example, Columbia will “not maintain programs that promote unlawful efforts” related to diversity, equity and inclusion and will not take race, color, sex or national origin into account in hiring decisions.
The university will abide by the Supreme Court’s decision ending affirmative action in college admissions. To prove it is following the law, Columbia will provide statistical information to the government about rejected and admitted students broken down by race, grade point average and performance on standardized tests, for all its schools.