Northwestern pays $75M in Trump administration civil rights settlement

The Trump administration announced Friday a comprehensive federal civil rights settlement with Northwestern University that requires the school to pay $75 million and protect students and employees from “race-based admissions practices” and a “hostile educational environment toward Jewish students.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a statement that the agreement was intended to protect Northwestern from this “unlawful discrimination” and calls on the university to “maintain clear policies and procedures regarding demonstrations, protests, displays and other expressive activities” as well as the introduction of mandatory anti-Semitism training.

“Today’s settlement marks another victory in the Trump Administration’s fight to ensure that American educational institutions protect Jewish students and put their merit first,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Institutions that accept federal funding are required to comply with civil rights laws – we are grateful to Northwestern for negotiating this historic agreement.”

Northwestern will pay its $75 million to the United States by 2028.

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The new agreement comes after the Trump administration previously reached a $221 million settlement with Columbia University to resolve several federal civil rights investigations. This deal includes a payment of $200 million over three years for alleged discriminatory practices and $21 million to settle claims of anti-Semitic employment discrimination against Jewish teachers following the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023.

DOE Secretary Linda McMahon called the Northwestern agreement “a major win for current and future Northwestern students, alumni, faculty, and for the future of American higher education.”

“The deal cements policy changes that protect students and other members of the campus from harassment and discrimination, and it recommits the school to merit-based hiring and admissions,” she said in a statement. “The reforms reflect Northwestern’s bold leadership and are a roadmap for institutional leaders across the country that will help restore public trust in our colleges and universities.”

Northwestern referred Fox News Digital to a statement from university President Henry Bienen reacting to the agreement, saying it would restore hundreds of millions of dollars in critical research funding.

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“This is not an agreement the university enters into lightly, but one based on institutional values,” Bienen said. “As a mandatory requirement for negotiating this agreement, we had several hard red lines that we did not want to cross: We would not relinquish control over who we hire, who we admit as students, what our faculty teach, or how our faculty teach. I would not have signed this agreement without provisions ensuring that.”

Bees added: “Northwest runs northwest. Period.”

The university president also said the $75 million payment was “not an admission of guilt, but simply a condition of the agreement.” He noted that Northwestern “has not been found to have violated any law and expressly disclaims any liability for any and all allegations contained therein.” investigations that have now been completed.”

In its statement announcing the agreement, the DOJ said federal authorities would close their pending investigations and treat Northwestern as eligible for future grants, contracts and awards.

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The Trump administration previously froze about $790 million from Northwestern University and over $1 billion in federal funding from Cornell University because of possible civil rights investigations at both prestigious schools.