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Donald Trump’s administration has said Columbia University no longer meets the standard required for accreditation due to its violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, sharply escalating its pressure on the institution.
The education department said it had notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which accredits Columbia, that the university was “in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the commission”.
The action threatens Columbia’s access to tens of millions of dollars in tuition fees from government-backed student grants and loans to support students, and adds pressure for it to negotiate a settlement with the government.
Linda McMahon, secretary of education, said: “After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus. This is not only immoral, but also unlawful. Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid.”
Columbia University said in a statement that it is aware of the administration’s concerns and has addressed them with the Middle States Commission.
“Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it,” the university said.
The New York-based university announced reforms in March in response to a freeze on $400mn of federal funding and demands to change its governance and student disciplinary procedures. It has since unveiled plans for further changes seen by many faculty members as further weakening their power and pandering to the Trump administration.
The administration has launched a broad attack on the US’s elite universities, investigating alleged failures to tackle antisemitism and reducing — or even cancelling — funding for researchers.
Harvard is among those that have rejected Washington’s demands and in April the university sued the administration. It has had its federal funding cut and its right to enrol foreign students removed.
In the wake of Harvard’s lawsuit, Claire Shipman, Columbia’s acting president, pledged that “we would reject any agreement that would require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy as an educational institution”.
To operate and be eligible for government funding, American universities are required to be authorised by one of the country’s seven non-profit accreditation agencies.
Trump has increased pressure on the agencies, signing an executive order in April that accused them of failing in their responsibilities and threatening to withdraw or weaken their authority over accreditation.
The Department of Education said last month its Office for Civil Rights had determined that Columbia had “acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students”.
It said “if a university fails to come into compliance within a specified period, an accreditor must take appropriate action against its member institution.”
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education confirmed it had received a letter on the matter on Wednesday afternoon and said it had “no other comment at this time”.