The Trump administration has frozen roughly $790 million in federal funding to Northwestern University, as part of a broader crackdown on universities under civil rights investigations for alleged antisemitic discrimination. Cornell University is also affected, with over $1 billion in federal funds frozen.
The funding freeze includes grants and contracts from several major federal agencies, such as the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, Education, and Health and Human Services. According to reports, Northwestern officials learned of the action through media sources and have not yet received direct notice from the government. The university says it is cooperating fully with the investigation.
This move follows similar actions taken against other top-tier universities, including Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania, with total frozen funding across institutions surpassing $10 billion. The administration justifies the move under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in federally funded programs.
Critics argue the administration is conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism, raising concerns over free speech and academic freedom. There are also reports that foreign student protesters have had their visas revoked or been placed in deportation proceedings.
Northwestern and Cornell now face the challenge of maintaining critical research and academic programs without access to federal support, as the political and legal battles over campus speech and civil rights intensify.
