Columbia University Agrees to Monitor Foreign Students for Trump Administration in $221 Million Settlement

Columbia University agreed to pay $221 million ($200 million to the federal government over three years and $21 million for EEOC settlements) to settle Trump administration claims of failing to police antisemitism, while accepting unprecedented requirements for monitoring foreign students. The settlement mandates that Columbia reduce its ‘dependence on international student enrollment’ and ensure students are ‘committed to the longstanding traditions of American universities,’ with an oversight monitor receiving specific data on foreign students starting October 2025.

Context: The settlement restored over $400 million in federal funding that had been cut off. Columbia must provide regular reports to oversight monitor Bart Schwartz, documenting compliance with federal laws pertaining to admissions, hiring, and international students. The university agreed to stepped-up scrutiny of foreign scholars and accepted requirements that threaten to sour its relationship with international students. Similar settlements were negotiated with Cornell ($100 million) and Brown ($50 million).

Significance: This settlement transforms private universities into immigration enforcement and ideological surveillance arms of the Trump administration, weaponizing federal funding to force institutions to monitor and report on foreign students’ activities, including minor protest-related offenses. The requirement to reduce ‘dependence’ on international enrollment and ensure ideological conformity to ‘American traditions’ represents government-enforced political screening of students, undermining academic freedom and deterring foreign talent from U.S. institutions.