As Northwestern sought to reopen the flow of federal research funding, it followed in the footsteps of four Ivy League schools — the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Brown University and Cornell University — as well as the University of Virginia.
NU joined those schools Friday as the sixth university to finalize an agreement with the Trump administration.
Penn, Columbia and Brown secured deals over the summer. UVA and Cornell followed suit on Oct. 22 and Nov. 7, respectively.
The Trump administration affirmed each school’s eligibility for future research funding, and it restored hundreds of millions in terminated grants to NU and each aforementioned school while closing existing investigations into alleged civil rights violations.
In exchange, four universities made tens of millions of dollars in payments, and all six adjusted policies to align with the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights laws — many by addressing antisemitism allegations, slashing support for transgender women or removing programs tied to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Financial payments
Under the terms of its agreement, NU will pay $75 million to the United States Treasury.
Columbia faces a financial burden more than double that of any other settlement so far, with the institution obligated to pay $200 million to the U.S. and $21 million to a claims fund for employees who claimed to experience antisemitism and civil rights violations.
Cornell’s deal required a sum of $60 million, split evenly between the U.S. and research programs targeted toward American agriculture. Brown’s terms dictate a commitment of $50 million to support workforce development in Rhode Island.
Neither Penn nor UVA made payments under their agreements. Instead, Penn modified its policies on transgender female athletes, while UVA agreed to follow revised federal guidance on antidiscrimination laws.
NU’s settlement more closely resembles federal deals with Columbia and Brown, combining federal government payouts with sweeping policy changes.
Antisemitism allegations
As a result of the federal agreements, several universities face new requirements related to Jewish student life and research on the Middle East, Israel and Judaism.
Columbia’s settlement, for example, included a review of its programs tied to the Middle East. The deal also mandated the university hire new professors in the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies and an administrator dedicated to recommending improvements for Jewish student life.
Brown, Cornell and NU must administer campus surveys collecting student opinions on their schools’ handling of antisemitism. Student course evaluations at Brown will also be reviewed for alleged antisemitism.
Brown and NU must also report data to the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights on harassment complaints — including for antisemitism — as well as information about the university’s response to each complaint.
Furthermore, NU’s agreement reverses the University’s commitments following the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow in April 2024. Among other things, the University’s initial agreement with protesters included increased investment transparency and a new temporary space for Middle Eastern, North African and Muslim students — with the promise of an eventual permanent house.
NU was the only school whose agreement walked back commitments made as a result of a pro-Palestinian encampment.
International students and foreign funding
The Trump administration’s agreements with Columbia and NU both imposed new oversight on international student enrollment, requiring the universities to review their international admissions practices and financial reliance on foreign enrollment.
The deals also mandated that each school ask international students why they want to study in the U.S. before “socializing” them to norms of “free inquiry” and “open debate.”
Both schools must comply with federal requests for data on disciplinary action resulting in suspensions or expulsions for student visa holders. Columbia, Cornell and NU must also provide information on foreign funding sources, including gifts and contracts, upon request.
Racial discrimination and affirmative action
Columbia, Brown and NU all promised not to maintain programs promoting “race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity targets, or similar efforts.” The deals prohibit each school from providing “benefits or advantages” to certain people based on characteristics protected under federal civil rights laws.
The three schools may not use personal statements, references to one’s own race or any “indirect methods or criteria” or “proxies” to determine or consider an applicant’s race in admissions.
The agreements called these practices discriminatory, demanding each school maintain “merit-based admissions policies.” A 2023 Supreme Court ruling previously banned schools from considering race in admissions.
Columbia, Brown, Cornell and NU must all report admissions data to the Trump administration by race, grade point averages and standardized test scores. Those schools and UVA have to certify their compliance with the Trump administration’s interpretation of civil rights laws, with Columbia reporting to a “resolution monitor” designated by the school and the federal government.
Transgender students
Several agreements require schools to define women based on their sex assigned at birth, at times citing a Jan. 20 executive order that purports to combat “gender ideology extremism.”
Deals with Columbia and NU contained near-identical text restricting transgender women from participating in athletics by listing “all-female sports, locker rooms, and showering facilities” as one step toward establishing “safe and fair opportunities for women.” Columbia, Brown and NU included those restrictions alongside clauses allowing cisgender women to request housing deemed “all-female” or “single-sex.”
Doctors at Brown and NU are also prohibited from providing gender-affirming surgeries or hormone therapy to minors.
The Trump administration’s earlier agreement with Penn focused on restricting access for trans female athletes. That deal further required the school to revoke previous awards and titles from trans women — including swimmer Lia Thomas, who became the first trans woman to win an NCAA Division I title in 2022, several months before World Aquatics banned transgender women who transitioned after age 12 from competing alongside other women.
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Bluesky: @edwardsimoncruz.bsky.social
Email: [email protected]
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