Northwestern University agrees to pay US government $75m to restore research funding | US universities
Northwestern University has 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 restore hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding.
Donald Trump’s administration had cut $790 million in grants in a standoff that contributed to university layoffs and the September resignation of Northwestern President Michael Schill. The administration argued that the school had not done enough to combat anti-Semitism.
Under the agreement announced Friday evening, Northwestern will make the payment to the U.S. Treasury over the next three years. Among other commitments, it also demands that the university revoke the so-called Deering Meadow Agreement, which it signed in April 2024 in exchange for an end to pro-Palestinian protesters’ tents on campus.
During negotiations, the university’s interim president, Henry Bienen, said Northwestern refused to cede control over hiring, admissions or its curriculum. “I would not have signed this agreement without provisions ensuring that this is the case,” he said.
The agreement also calls on Northwestern to continue to comply with federal anti-discrimination laws, develop training materials to “socialize international students” with the standards of a campus dedicated to open debate, and uphold its commitment to Title IX by “providing safe and equitable opportunities for women, including single-sex housing for any woman, defined on the basis of sex, who requests such housing and all-female athletics, locker rooms, and showers.”
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the deal cements policy changes that will protect students on campus from harassment and discrimination.
“The reforms reflect bold leadership from Northwestern and provide a road map for institutional leaders across the country that will help restore public trust in our colleges and universities,” McMahon said.
Trump has exploited government control over federal research funds to push for reforms at elite universities that he denounced as being overrun by “woke” ideology.
The fine accepted by Northwestern is the second largest behind Columbia, which agreed in July to pay the government $200 million to resolve a series of investigations and restore its funding. Brown and Cornell also reached agreements with the government to restore funding following investigations into anti-Semitism.
Harvard, the administration’s main target, remains in negotiations with the federal government over its demands for changes in campus policies and governance. The Ivy League school sued against the administration’s funding cuts 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, offering preferential treatment of federal funds to several institutions in exchange for adopting policies consistent with Trump’s agenda. The administration received an initial wave of pushback from leaders at some universities, citing concerns that Trump’s pact on higher education could supplant academic freedom.
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