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Columbia and Trump Near a Deal, With School Possibly Paying Millions

New York|Columbia and Trump Near a Deal, With School Possibly Paying Millions

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/nyregion/columbia-university-trump-deal-antisemitism.html

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In return, the White House would restore some of the more than $400 million in federal research funding it canceled, according to people familiar with ongoing discussions.

Hundreds of Columbia University students wearing light blue caps and gowns gather for graduation in a university quad. One graduate holds the letter “B.” Someone holds an umbrella that is purple, red, orange, yellow and green. The imposing Butler Library building is in the background.

July 11, 2025Updated 10:17 p.m. ET

Columbia University and the Trump administration on Friday were nearing a deal in the contentious fight over allegations that the school had failed to protect Jewish students from harassment, with Columbia potentially agreeing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle the matter, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

The deal, which remains in draft form, would restore at least some of the more than $400 million in federal research funding the administration canceled. In exchange, Columbia would provide compensation to settle allegations of civil rights violations and increase transparency about admissions and foreign gifts, among other concessions. The existence of a potential deal was confirmed by a third person, who, like the others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive negotiations.

The deal could include $200 million or more in compensation paid by Columbia for alleged civil rights violations. Columbia officials are expected to meet with Trump aides next week at the White House to finalize the deal, said one of the people familiar with the discussions.

A university spokeswoman on Friday night did not confirm details of the deal or the potential White House meeting. “The university is focused on advancing the discussions with the federal government. There is no resolution at this time,” the spokeswoman, Virginia Lam Abrams, said.

The current draft of the deal, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and The Free Beacon, does not go as far in exerting federal authority over the university as an earlier version that was circulated in April.

That deal would have included a judge-approved consent decree, which is a kind of legally binding performance-improvement plan, according to a copy of that agreement obtained by The New York Times. A consent decree, which would have given the Trump administration significant control over the university for years to come, is not part of the current discussions, the people said.