United States President Donald Trump has frozen over $2 billion in federal funds meant for Harvard University after the school refused to accept a list of demands from the White House.
The demands, according to the White House, were aimed at fighting antisemitism on campus. They included changes to how Harvard is run, how it hires staff, and how it admits students.
Harvard rejected the demands on Monday, calling them an attempt by the government to control the university’s independence.
In a letter to staff and students, Harvard’s President Alan Garber said, “The university will not surrender its independence or give up its constitutional rights.”
He added that while Harvard takes the fight against antisemitism seriously, many of the demands were “direct government control of what happens at Harvard.”
Shortly after the letter was released, the U.S. Department of Education said it would freeze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts immediately.
“Harvard’s statement today shows the entitlement mindset in many of our top universities,” the department said. “The harassment of Jewish students is intolerable. It is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously.”
The White House had warned Harvard that it must agree to the changes to continue receiving government funding.
The proposed changes included:
- Reporting students to the government if they are seen as “hostile” to American values
- Making sure every academic department includes people with different viewpoints
- Hiring a government-approved group to review departments accused of allowing antisemitism
- Ending Harvard’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies
- Punishing students involved in past campus protests
This makes Harvard the first major U.S. university to say no to President Trump’s demands.
The president has accused several top universities of not protecting Jewish students, especially during recent pro-Palestinian protests over the Gaza war and U.S. support for Israel.
In 2023, then-Harvard President Claudine Gay was criticised for saying it would “depend on the context” whether calling for the killing of Jews broke school rules. She later resigned.
In March, the Trump administration said it was reviewing billions of dollars in Harvard’s federal funding. Some professors have taken the government to court, saying these actions threaten academic freedom and free speech.
The White House has already removed $400 million in federal funding from Columbia University, which later agreed to some of the demands. Columbia has also faced controversy after several students involved in pro-Palestinian protests were detained by immigration officials.
President Trump’s administration has warned that more universities could face the same punishment if they fail to act.
