The Trump administration has announced a freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants and contracts to Harvard University, following the institution’s refusal to comply with a raft of new federal directives that critics say threaten academic freedom.
The decision follows a letter sent by the administration to Harvard last Friday, calling for sweeping changes including “merit-based” admissions and hiring policies, a campus-wide audit of views on diversity, and a ban on face masks — a move seen as directly targeting pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
The letter also demanded that Harvard cease recognition or funding of any student organisations that, in the administration’s view, endorse or promote criminal activity, illegal violence, or harassment.
Harvard President Alan Garber, responding in a letter to the university community on Monday, said the administration’s demands “violated the university's First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government's authority under Title VI", which prohibits discrimination based on race, colour, or national origin.
“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,” wrote Garber, affirming that the university had already implemented extensive reforms to address antisemitism on campus.
“These ends will not be achieved by assertions of power, unmoored from the law, to control teaching and learning at Harvard and to dictate how we operate,” he said. “The work of addressing our shortcomings, fulfilling our commitments, and embodying our values is ours to define and undertake as a community.”
The pressure on Harvard is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to tie federal funding to compliance with its campus policies, particularly on issues related to antisemitism, diversity, and protest. Similar funding freezes have reportedly been imposed on other Ivy League institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania, Brown, and Princeton. The terms of the Harvard letter closely mirror those that led to institutional reforms at Columbia University under threat of losing federal support.
The administration has accused elite universities of failing to act against instances of alleged antisemitism during protests over Israel’s military actions in Gaza — a claim the institutions reject.
The administration’s actions have triggered significant backlash, with Harvard alumni writing to the leadership urging the university to stand its ground.
“Harvard stood up today for the integrity, values, and freedoms that serve as the foundation of higher education,” said Anurima Bhargava, one of the alumni behind the letter. “Harvard reminded the world that learning, innovation and transformative growth will not yield to bullying and authoritarian whims.”
Protests erupted over the weekend across Harvard and Cambridge, with both students and residents voicing opposition to the administration's demands. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) filed a lawsuit on Friday, challenging the legality of the funding freeze.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the administration had failed to follow due procedure under Title VI before initiating funding cuts. They claimed the government had not provided adequate notice to either Harvard or Congress.
“These sweeping yet indeterminate demands are not remedies targeting the causes of any determination of noncompliance with federal law. Instead, they overtly seek to impose on Harvard University political views and policy preferences advanced by the Trump administration and commit the University to punishing disfavoured speech,” the lawsuit reads.
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