Topline

Harvard University’s ongoing battle against the Trump administration may soon be coming to an end, President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday, saying the prestigious university will pay $500 million to settle its dispute with the federal government, which is trying to freeze $2.2 billion in federal funds for Harvard over antisemitism allegations.

Trump provided details about the settlement in the Oval Office on Tuesday. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Getty ImagesKey Facts

Trump said the deal is “getting very close” to being finalized and Harvard will pay “about $500 million” and begin operating trade schools as part of the settlement.

“This would be a giant series of trade schools, it would be run by Harvard,” Trump said, noting “interest and everything else” would go to the creation of the trade schools.

The potential settlement comes weeks after the Trump administration’s funding freeze against Harvard was ruled unconstitutional by District Judge Allison Burroughs, with the Trump administration vowing to appeal the decision.

The Associated Press reported in August that Harvard and the Trump administration were nearing a $500 million settlement “to regain access to federal funding and to end investigations.”

Forbes has reached out to Harvard for comment.

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How Has The Trump Administration Targeted Harvard?

The Trump administration first took aim at $2.2 billion in Havard’s federal funds before Burroughs demanded it restore the funding. Burroughs said in her order the Trump administration “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities” that violated the First Amendment. The government also attempted to stop international student enrollment at Harvard, which sued the Department of Homeland of Security in a lawsuit that is still ongoing. The Trump administration also launched debarment proceedings against Harvard, which would completely remove the university’s access to federal funding.

Key Background

Harvard is one of dozens of schools investigated by the Trump administration over antisemitism allegations linked to their handling of on-campus pro-Palestinian protests in 2024. The university has been the most resistant to attacks from the Trump administration as other schools have quickly settled with or agreed to make changes to their policies in order to avoid the loss of federal funding. Columbia agreed to settle with the Trump administration for $221 million and committed to stricter protesting rules and a review of its Middle East studies programs, among other changes. Brown University agreed to a settlement in which it vowed to donate $50 million to support workforce development in Rhode Island. The University of California Los Angeles lost more than $500 million in federal funding in July but scored a win Tuesday, when the Trump administration following a judge’s order restored nearly all of the 500 National Institutes of Health grants given to the school.

Further Reading

Trump Administration’s $2.2 Billion Harvard Funding Freeze Ruled Unconstitutional (Forbes)

Columbia Will Settle With Trump Administration For $221 Million (Forbes)

Trump Administration Investigates These 60 Colleges Over Antisemitism Allegations (Forbes)