In a significant resolution with the Trump administration, Northwestern University has consented to a $75 million settlement with the U.S. government, effectively concluding a contentious series of investigations. This agreement is poised to reinstate hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding, which had been previously suspended.

The suspension of $790 million in grants by President Donald Trump’s administration stemmed from allegations that Northwestern had not taken sufficient measures to combat antisemitism. This financial standoff had severe repercussions for the university, leading to staff layoffs and the September resignation of Northwestern president Michael Schill.

Announced on Friday night, the settlement requires Northwestern to remit the payment to the U.S. Treasury over a three-year span. Additionally, the university is obliged to annul the Deering Meadow agreement, which was signed in April 2024 following negotiations with pro-Palestinian protesters who had established a tent encampment on campus.

Throughout the negotiation process, interim university president Henry Bienen emphasized that Northwestern was steadfast in maintaining autonomy over its hiring practices, admissions, and curriculum. “I would not have signed this agreement without provisions ensuring that is the case,” Bienen affirmed.

Moreover, the settlement stipulates Northwestern’s adherence to federal anti-discrimination laws, the development of materials aimed at acclimating international students to the campus’s culture of open debate, and a reinforced commitment to Title IX. This includes ensuring equitable opportunities for women, such as providing single-sex housing upon request and maintaining all-female sports teams, locker rooms, and shower facilities.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the deal cements policy changes that will protect people on campus from harassment and discrimination.

“The reforms reflect bold leadership at Northwestern and they are a roadmap for institutional leaders around the country that will help rebuild public trust in our colleges and universities,” McMahon said.

Trump has leveraged government control of federal research money to push for reforms at elite colleges he has decried as overrun by “woke” ideology.

The fine agreed to by Northwestern is the second-largest behind Columbia, which agreed in July to pay the government $200 million to resolve a series of investigations and restore its funding. Brown and Cornell also reached agreements with the government to restore funding following antisemitism investigations.

Harvard, the administration’s primary target, remains in negotiations with the federal government over its demands for changes to campus policies and governance. The Ivy League school sued over the administration’s cuts to its grant money and won a court victory in September when a federal judge ordered the government to restore federal funding, saying the Trump administration “used antisemitism as a smokescreen.”

This fall, the White House tried a different approach on higher education, offering preferential treatment for federal funds to several institutions in exchange for adopting policies in line with Trump’s agenda. The administration received a wave of initial rejections from some universities’ leadership, citing concerns that Trump’s higher education compact might supplant academic freedom.

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