The Trump administration has announced it is freezing more than $2 billion in federal funding to Harvard University, just hours after the Ivy League institution rejected a list of demands from the White House.
The list, sent last week, was part of the administration’s effort to address antisemitism on college campuses and included proposed changes to hiring practices, admissions policies, and academic programming.
Since President Donald Trump’s re-election, his government has increasingly sought to reshape higher education by leveraging federal funding—primarily research grants—to push for reforms at elite universities.
On Monday, Harvard became the first major university to formally reject the administration’s proposals, accusing the White House of attempting to “control” its academic community.
The demands, if accepted, would have introduced sweeping reforms and granted the government significant influence over university operations.
In a letter obtained by The New York Times, the administration accused Harvard of failing to meet the “intellectual and civil rights conditions” required for continued federal investment. The letter outlined 10 categories of proposed reforms, including:
- Reporting students who are “hostile” to American values to the federal government
- Ensuring each academic department is “viewpoint diverse”
- Appointing a government-approved external auditor to investigate programs associated with antisemitic harassment
- Vetting faculty for plagiarism
President Trump has been critical of top-tier universities for what he sees as a failure to protect Jewish students, especially during recent protests over the Gaza conflict and U.S. support for Israel.
The letter also ordered Harvard to take disciplinary action against students involved in protest-related “violations.”
Harvard President Alan Garber responded by firmly rejecting the demands, saying the university would not compromise its independence or its constitutional rights under the First Amendment.
“Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard,” he said.
Shortly after Garber’s statement was released, the Department of Education announced the immediate freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts previously allocated to Harvard.
“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges,” the Department of Education said.
“The disruption of learning plaguing campuses is unacceptable and the harassment of Jewish students intolerable.”
David Armitage, a history professor at Harvard, told the BBC that the university could afford to stand its ground, noting its status as the wealthiest university in the U.S. with a $53 billion endowment.
“It’s a not unexpected act of entirely groundless and vengeful activity by the Trump administration which wants nothing more than to silence freedom of speech,” he said.
The administration had previously said it was reviewing approximately $256 million in federal contracts and an additional $8.7 billion in long-term grant commitments to Harvard. In response, Harvard professors filed a lawsuit, accusing the government of unlawfully attacking academic freedom and free speech.
Harvard is just one of several elite institutions under scrutiny by the Trump administration. Last month, Columbia University agreed to comply with a number of federal demands after the White House withdrew $400 million in funding.
The debate comes amid declining public confidence in higher education. A recent Gallup poll indicated a significant drop in trust, particularly among Republicans, driven by the perception that universities are advancing a political agenda.
Earlier on Monday, tensions escalated further when Mohsen Mahdawi, a green card holder and pro-Palestinian protest organiser at Columbia, was arrested by immigration officials during a citizenship interview in Vermont. Mahdawi, who is expected to graduate next month, is among several students recently detained after participating in protests.
Other students, such as Mahmoud Khalil of Columbia and Rumeysa Ozturk of Tufts University, have also faced detention in recent weeks following their involvement in campus demonstrations.
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