Northwestern University agrees to pay US government $75m to restore research funding | US universities
Northwestern University agreed to pay $75 million to the U.S. government as part of a deal with the Trump administration to end a series of investigations and recover hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funds.
Donald Trump’s administration had cut $790 million in grants in a stalemate that contributed to university layoffs and the resignation of Northwestern president Michael Schill in September. The administration argued that the school did not do enough to combat antisemitism.
Under the agreement announced Friday night, Northwestern will make the payment to the U.S. treasury over the next three years. Among other commitments, it also requires the university to cancel the so-called Deering Meadow agreement it signed in April 2024 in exchange for pro-Palestinian protesters ending tent camps on campus.
During negotiations, the university’s interim president, Henry Bienen, said Northwestern refused to give up control over hiring, admissions or curriculum. “I wouldn’t have signed this agreement if there weren’t provisions that ensured that was the case,” he said.
The agreement also calls for Northwestern to continue to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, develop educational materials to “socialize international students” with the norms of a campus dedicated to open discussion, and maintain its commitment to Title IX “by providing safe and fair opportunities for women, including single-sex housing for any gender-identified woman who requests such accommodations and all-female gyms, locker rooms, and shower facilities.”
U.S. education secretary Linda McMahon said the agreement strengthens policy changes that will protect people on campus from harassment and discrimination.
“The reforms reflect bold leadership at Northwestern and are a road map for institutional leaders across the country to help rebuild public trust in our colleges and universities,” McMahon said.
Trump has leveraged the government’s control of federal research money to promote reforms at elite universities that he says are overrun by “woke” ideology.
The fine Northwestern agreed to was the second-largest behind Columbia, which agreed in July to pay the government $200 million to settle a series of investigations and restore its funding. Brown and Cornell also reached an agreement with the government to restore funding following antisemitism investigations.
Harvard, the administration’s primary target, continues to negotiate with the federal government over demands for changes in campus policies and administration. The Ivy League school sued over the administration’s cuts in grant money and won a court victory in September when a federal judge ordered the government to restore federal funding, saying the Trump administration was “using anti-Semitism as a smokescreen.”
This fall, the White House tried a different approach to higher education; He has offered preferential treatment for federal funds to various agencies in exchange for adopting policies that align with Trump’s agenda. The administration faced an initial wave of rejection from leaders of some universities, citing concerns that Trump’s higher education deal could supplant academic freedom.
