UC Berkeley is disputing a claim from the U.S. Department of Education that it had received $224.5 million in gifts and contracts from Chinese sources over the past 25 years.
The Education Department published a dashboard earlier this year tracking Section 117 reports of foreign funding from “countries of concern,” including China.
UC Berkeley spokesperson Dan Mogulof said in an email that campus believes the data in the Education Department’s dashboard “(does) not provide an accurate reflection of our current international academic partnerships.” Mogulof added that campus is currently evaluating the department’s data against its internal records.
UC Berkeley submitted its biannual Section 117-compliant report of foreign funding last week, reporting no contracts and $4.5 million in gifts from Chinese sources, according to Mogulof. The Department of Education claims UC Berkeley has received $229 million in total funding from Chinese sources as of press time.
The dashboard tracks foreign gift and contract reporting under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. Section 117 requires institutions participating in federal student aid programs to disclose all gifts and contracts from foreign sources valued at more than $250,000.
UC Berkeley has faced scrutiny over its relationships with Chinese institutions in the past. In 2024, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released findings alleging UC Berkeley was one of several institutions contributing to China’s technological and military advancements through shared research.
In 2025, UC Berkeley ended its decade-long relationship with Tsinghua University, and is no longer affiliated with the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute. According to Mogulof, $34 million in funding received by UC Berkeley is associated with the institute.
In April 2025, the Department of Education announced another investigation, citing potential “incomplete or inaccurate” reports of foreign funding by UC Berkeley.
“Over the course of the last two years, UC Berkeley has been cooperating with federal inquiries regarding (Section) 117 reporting issues, and we will continue to do so,” Mogulof said following the announcement of the 2025 investigation.
Mogulof said the Education Department investigation remains open.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon released a letter Monday asking every postsecondary institution in the country to address a series of questions, including how universities will protect their academic programs from foreign influence.
“University leaders must ensure that the research enterprise is oriented toward advancing the U.S. national interest—not our adversaries’—by refusing gifts with problematic conditions and ensuring that foreign actors do not unduly influence academic programming, research personnel, researcher assignments, or student admissions,” the letter reads.
The Education Department plans to release “the names of all foreign sources from prior reporting cycles” Wednesday, according to the Section 117 data dashboard. However, previous plans to release the information have been repeatedly delayed.
“The release of donor entities poses safety and security risks,” said UC Office of the President spokesperson Rachel Zaentz in an email. “The Department has repeatedly promised that certain donor information would not be publicly disclosed, a promise that has factored into donor decisions based on requests for anonymity.”
McMahon’s call to action also asks universities to respond to questions regarding admissions, free speech on campus, cost of education, national security, transparency and other academic affairs.