Harvard has rejected a series of demands from the Trump administration, saying the measures would effectively hand control of the university to a conservative government portraying higher education institutions as dangerously left-leaning.
Shortly after Harvard made its position public, the Trump administration announced a freeze on $2.3 billion in federal funding to the university.
The funding freeze follows a broader review initiated last month by the administration, targeting $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard. The review is part of a crackdown linked to what the administration calls a rise in antisemitism on college campuses during pro-Palestinian protests over the past 18 months.
On Monday, a Department of Education task force accused Harvard of exhibiting a “troubling entitlement mindset” common among prestigious U.S. institutions — claiming that federal investment should be tied to upholding civil rights laws.
This marks a major escalation in the dispute between the Trump administration and some of the nation’s top universities, raising serious concerns about academic freedom and freedom of expression. Several other schools have already had hundreds of millions of dollars in funding suspended, with the administration demanding policy changes related to its interpretation of antisemitism on campus.
In addition, some foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been placed in deportation proceedings, and hundreds of student visas have been revoked.
In a public letter, Harvard President Alan Garber argued that the Department of Education’s demands would allow the federal government “to control the Harvard community” and compromise the university’s values.
“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote.
The issue of antisemitism on campus gained national attention before Trump returned to office, following a wave of pro-Palestinian protests in the wake of the 2023 Hamas attack in Israel and the subsequent Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
The White House, through spokesman Harrison Fields, defended the funding freeze, stating that the administration aims to “Make Higher Education Great Again” by ending “unchecked antisemitism” and ensuring taxpayer funds are not used to support racial discrimination or politically motivated violence.
A letter from the Department of Education last week stated that Harvard had “failed to live up to both the intellectual and civil rights conditions that justify federal investment.” The department demanded that Harvard reduce the influence of those “more committed to activism than scholarship,” conduct external audits of departments to ensure “viewpoint diversity,” and halt all preferences based on race, color, or national origin in hiring and admissions by August.
Additionally, the university would be required to screen international applicants for alignment with “American values” and report foreign students who violate conduct rules to immigration authorities.
In response, a group of Harvard professors has already filed a lawsuit against the administration, challenging its sweeping review of the university’s federal funding. A similar situation is unfolding at Columbia University, where the administration has suspended $400 million in federal support and is reportedly pushing for a legally binding agreement mandating specific policy changes.
President Garber emphasized that Harvard would not comply with efforts to monitor the political views of its faculty or students.
“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” he wrote.
While acknowledging that Harvard is actively working to combat antisemitism on campus, Garber insisted that this cannot be achieved through federal overreach or by undermining academic freedom.
Earlier this year, Harvard agreed to implement new protections for Jewish students under a legal settlement addressing allegations that the campus had become a hub for antisemitism.
In light of the funding freeze, Harvard is seeking to borrow $750 million from Wall Street to ease potential financial strain.
