President Donald Trump is on track to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements from several prominent US universities he has sued over allegations of anti-Semitism, racial discrimination, and diversity policies.

What’s new here

Brown University settled for $50 million on Wednesday, soon after Columbia University agreed to pay $221 million, and Harvard is still negotiating a potential $500 million settlement.

This week, the Trump administration also launched investigations and lawsuits against UCLA, Duke, and George Mason University.

Why is it significant?

America’s top universities have mostly yielded to pressure from the Trump administration’s campaign against cultural policies, choosing to settle with large payments instead of resisting.

Officials in the Trump administration present these agreements as a way to hold liberal institutions accountable, accusing them of being dominated by left-wing ideological proponents, influenced by DEI initiatives, and allegedly tolerant of anti-Semitism.

Opponents argue that these settlements, which sometimes involve financial contributions or free legal support for causes favoured by Trump, effectively represent government-backed coercion.

Brief backgrounder

The legal dispute began when the Trump administration halted billions of dollars in federal funding to Harvard, Columbia, and Brown universities, citing inadequate efforts to combat anti-Semitism and concerns over affirmative action and diversity policies.

Columbia University was the first to settle, agreeing to pay $221 million to resolve disputes with the administration. Under the deal, Columbia will pay $200 million to the government over three years and an additional $21 million to settle claims brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In return, the university will regain access to frozen federal research funding and implement reforms such as reviewing Middle East programmes and ending specific race-based initiatives.

Brown University followed suit with a $50 million settlement to restore $510 million in previously frozen federal funds. The deal also requires Brown to conduct a campus climate survey focused on the experiences of Jewish students and take concrete steps to combat anti-Semitism.

Meanwhile, Harvard University remains in negotiations over a potential settlement worth $500 million to unlock more than $2 billion in frozen funding. No formal agreement has been announced yet, but sources say talks are progressing.

What happens next?

Officials in the Trump administration see Columbia’s agreement as a model approach for handling other universities.

Encouraged by this first victory, the administration has now begun legal proceedings against UCLA, Duke and George Mason University, adding them to the list of over 45 universities under federal investigation by the Trump administration for alleged violations related to anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination.