Sunday, November 9, 2025 - Cornell University has agreed to a settlement with the Trump administration, committing to pay $60 million to ensure the restoration of $250 million in federal funding to the prestigious Ivy League school.
The settlement concludes a significant
row that began when President Donald Trump targeted Cornell as part of a
crackdown on elite universities he accused of harboring liberal bias and
allowing antisemitism on campus.
As a direct result of the Trump
administration's actions, Cornell reported it was subjected to stop-work
orders, grant terminations, and funding freezes, with the total value of the
interrupted grants and contracts estimated at $250 million.
The administration had launched civil
rights probes against Cornell and numerous other universities, alleging they
failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from discrimination during campus
protests against Israel’s war in Gaza.
Under the terms of the new agreement,
Cornell will make a two-part financial commitment totaling $60 million over
three years. This commitment includes investing $30 million in research aimed
at strengthening U.S. agriculture, and paying the remaining $30 million
directly to the government.
Crucially, the civil rights probe
against Cornell has been terminated. The university was explicit in its
statement, stressing that the agreement is "not an admission of
wrongdoing."
Cornell University president Michael
Kotlikoff welcomed the announcement, saying the agreement "acknowledges
the government’s commitment to enforce existing anti-discrimination law, while
protecting our academic freedom and institutional independence."
He added that the resolution will allow
the university to "return to our teaching and research in restored
partnership with federal agencies."
While Trump had initially sought to
control the admissions and hiring decisions of the targeted universities,
Cornell confirmed that the final deal explicitly allows it to “make admissions
and hiring decisions based on merit.”
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