NEW: Ivy League School Caves To Trump Admin, Agrees To Pay $200M Settlement

Columbia University has reached a massive settlement with the Trump Administration under which it will pay $221 million, pledge to reverse racially discriminatory policies and resolve civil rights violations against Jewish students.

The settlement comes after months of negotiations that began when the administration yanked more than $400 million in federal grants over the aforementioned issues. Most of that money will be returned under the terms of the settlement, according to the official resolution agreement.

Columbia will pay $200 million to the U.S. government, in addition to $21 million into a claims fund for Jewish employees who were discriminated against during the pro-Palestine encampments that sprouted up on campus in 2024. The encampments were ultimately cleared after pro-Palestine students took over several campus buildings and prevented Jewish students from entering.

“This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,” Columbia acting President Claire Shipman said in a statement posted on the university’s website. “The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track.”

The statement continued, “Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest.”

In addition to address civil rights violations against Jewish students, Columbia has agreed to end all programs that discriminate against employees and students on the basis of race, gender and other immutable characteristics. This will bring the Ivy League university into compliance with the Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 ruling on affirmative action.

In addition, the university will create faculty positions to broaden intellectual diversity, Newsmax reported.

The settlement further calls for Columbia to maintain a trained security force blocking demonstrations in academic spaces, in addition to coordinating with the New York Police Department to prevent a repeat of the takeover of Hamilton Hall building last spring. As part of its participation in the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program, the school will now be expected to report any disciplinary actions for those holding visas, including suspensions, expulsions and arrests.

In a major deviation from existing policy, disciplinary matters will no longer be managed by the faculty senate, but instead by the Office of the Provost. Just this week, Columbia announced that dozens of students were going to be suspended or expelled for a recent disruptive library demonstration, as well as last year’s tent encampment.

Regional programs — specifically the Center for Palestine Studies; the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies; Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies; the Middle East Institute; and learning hubs in Tel Aviv and Amman, Jordan — will come under strict review from the senior vice provost to ensure they are “comprehensive and balanced,” Newsmax reported. In addition, Columbia will comply with Title IX and no longer force women to compete with biological men in sports or use their locker rooms, housing, or other facilities.

The Trump Administration is currently involved in a similar legal battle with Harvard University which has filed a federal lawsuit after being stripped of $2.6 billion in federal funding.