Cornell agrees to pay $60M to end Trump investigation and restore funding
Cornell University will pay a $60 million fine to end investigations and restore its federal funding, the school announced. Cornell becomes the latest major university to settle with President Donald Trump after he pulled billions of dollars of funding from public universities alleging schools didn’t protect students from antisemitism and other infractions.
The White House began investigating the university earlier this year over alleged civil rights violations, including the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion program. Cornell agreed to pay $30 million directly to the U.S. government and another $30 million towards research supporting farmers.
What did Cornell say?
Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said the agreement upholds the school’s academic freedoms while also restoring more than $250 million in federal research funding. He said Trump’s freeze caused research to stall, upended careers and threatened the future of academic programs.
In addition to paying $60 million, the university will also have to comply with the government’s interpretation of civil rights law involving antisemitism, racial discrimination and transgender issues. According to The Associated Press, Cornell staff and faculty will need to undergo training and will use a Department of Justice memo ordering colleges to abandon DEI policies as a resource.
The school will also hand the government admission data to ensure race is no longer a consideration in admission decisions.
In his statement, Kotlikoff emphasized that Cornell was not found in violation of any federal law and said the agreement would preserve the school’s independence. In April, he was among hundreds of university presidents who signed a letter opposing “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” by Trump.
What other universities have settled with Trump?
Cornell isn’t the only school the Trump administration has targeted. Columbia University and Brown University both agreed to pay the administration to stop investigations and unfreeze federal funding. The University of Pennsylvania also agreed to change its transgender swimmer records.
Former Penn swimmer Lia Thomas drew sharp criticism from Republicans and former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines. Gaines and Thomas tied for fifth place in 2022, and Gaines was immediately supportive of Thomas. Later, she said sharing a locker room with Thomas led her to become a conservative political activist and to push for rules banning transgender women from competing in college sports.
Similar to Penn, the University of Virginia also agreed to abide by the administration’s new policies.
Trump has also launched investigations into Harvard University, Northwestern University, the University of California, Los Angeles, Princeton University and Duke University. The investigations have paused more than $4 billion worth of federal funding for the schools. So far, none of the schools has agreed to pay the Trump administration.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
