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The administration of United States President, Donald Trump, has frozen more than $2 billion in federal funding allocated to Harvard University.
According to the BBC, this follows the institution’s refusal to comply with a list of demands issued by the White House aimed at tackling antisemitism and overhauling its policies.
The Department of Education confirmed the freeze just hours after Harvard publicly dismissed the conditions, criticising the federal government’s attempt to influence its internal affairs.
“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges,” the department said.
The White House had sent an expanded list of demands to Harvard last week, including sweeping changes to governance, hiring and admissions processes.
These were framed as necessary reforms to address antisemitism on campus, but university officials pushed back, warning that the measures would amount to federal overreach.
In a letter to the Harvard community on Monday, President Alan Garber confirmed that the university had rejected the terms, saying the government was seeking to “control” its operations.
“We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement,” Garber wrote. “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
Garber noted that Harvard remains committed to fighting antisemitism, but argued that the administration’s demands threatened academic autonomy.
“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 stated.
Within hours of the letter’s release, the Department of Education announced the immediate suspension of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts.
“The disruption of learning that has plagued campuses in recent years is unacceptable,” it said. “The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable.
“It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support.”
The administration’s letter to Harvard last Friday cited the university’s failure to meet “intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment,” and outlined 10 categories of proposed reforms.
Among them were requirements to report students deemed “hostile” to American values, ensure “viewpoint diversity” in academic departments, and hire external, government-approved auditors to examine programmes allegedly linked to antisemitic incidents.
The document also demanded Harvard take disciplinary action against those involved in past campus protests, and eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives – echoing Trump’s broader campaign against such policies since returning to office.
Harvard is the first major university to openly reject the administration’s terms. Others, such as Columbia University, had previously agreed to federal conditions after funding was threatened.
The White House pulled $400 million from Columbia earlier this year, accusing it of failing to protect Jewish students.
At the time, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said: “Universities must comply with all federal antidiscrimination laws if they are going to receive federal funding.”
