Schools under the scanner of the Trump administration due to federal funds allocation scrutiny
In the midst of 2025, the Trump administration's push for accountability in higher education institutions has resulted in a series of significant actions. These actions include the freezing or potential withholding of federal funding for several universities, as well as the launch of investigations into alleged civil rights violations.
One of the universities affected by these actions is Columbia University, which agreed to a $200 million fine to restore federal funding. The agreement also includes changes to campus safety and admissions oversight [4]. Similarly, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) reached an agreement to modify school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and apologize to female athletes "disadvantaged" by Thomas' participation [5].
The administration's investigations have not been limited to these two universities. George Mason University, for instance, has been under scrutiny for alleged racial and sex discrimination in faculty hiring [4].
The freeze on federal funding has been a widespread issue, with over $6.8 billion held back in July 2025, impacting various education programmes nationwide and particularly affecting vulnerable student populations in districts with high poverty [2]. However, following public outcry, billions of these frozen federal education funds were unfrozen later in July 2025 [3].
Brown University agreed to pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations to end investigations into allegations of antisemitism and racial bias in Brown admissions. As part of the agreement, Brown also agreed to apply a federally backed definition of antisemitism to teaching and disciplinary committee investigations, and pay $21 million into a compensation fund for employees who may have faced antisemitism [4].
The administration's actions have extended to other universities as well. Duke University had $108 million in federal funding frozen this week due to allegations of racial preferences in Duke's hiring and admissions [6]. Northwestern University saw a halt in some of its federal funding in April, with about $790 million frozen according to the administration [7].
Harvard University has been under scrutiny for allegations of allowing antisemitism to flourish, resulting in over $2.6 billion in research grants being frozen [8]. Princeton University also experienced a freeze on dozens of research grants without a clear rationale, with the grants coming from federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, NASA, and the Pentagon [9].
The Trump administration's actions have led to a broader environment of federal funding freezes and scrutiny affecting higher education institutions. This reshaping of federal higher education policy under the Trump administration includes staffing cuts at the Department of Education, reductions in discretionary research funding, and ongoing federal reviews that create funding uncertainty for universities [1][4].
In summary, the Trump administration's push for changes in higher education has led to a series of agreements with universities, involving concessions to the political agenda and financial payments to restore federal money that had been withheld. The current status is one of ongoing federal pressure and conditional funding tied to compliance with civil rights enforcement and political agenda scrutiny, causing financial and operational challenges across the university sector.
References: 1. Trump's education budget cuts could hit historically black colleges hard 2. Trump administration freezes billions in education funding, affecting schools nationwide 3. Trump administration releases billions in frozen education funding amid outcry 4. Trump administration's crackdown on universities: A timeline 5. University of Pennsylvania agrees to modify school records, apologize to female athletes in settlement with Trump administration 6. Duke University faces $108 million in federal funding freeze over allegations of racial preferences 7. Northwestern University faces freeze on federal funding, according to administration 8. Harvard University faces over $2.6 billion in research grants freeze over antisemitism allegations 9. Princeton University faces freeze on research grants without clear rationale
- The ongoing actions by the Trump administration in education-and-self-development have led to politics playing a significant role in university agreements, such as the University of Pennsylvania modifying school records and issuing an apology to female athletes under investigation, or George Mason University facing scrutiny for alleged discrimination.
- The Trump administration's push for accountability in higher education has also seeped into general-news, as seen in the freezing of federal funding for universities like Duke University and Northwestern University, or the allegations of antisemitism and racial bias at institutions like Harvard and Princeton, causing financial and operational challenges across the university sector.
