Northwestern University has agreed to pay 75 million dollars to the federal government as part of a settlement with the Trump administration that will allow the school to regain access to millions in frozen federal research funds.
The university announced Friday that the agreement will close investigations by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education into whether Northwestern violated federal anti-discrimination laws. The deal will also permanently shut down all pending Department of Justice Civil Rights Division probes regarding the school’s compliance with Title VI, which bans racial discrimination in admissions.
In April, the administration froze 790 million dollars in federal research grants and contracts, making Northwestern the first non–Ivy League university to be targeted by the White House over alleged civil rights violations, including its handling of antisemitism on campus.
Northwestern officials expect federal funding to resume within days and be fully restored within a month. The university will also once again qualify for future federal grants, contracts and awards.
“This is not an agreement the University enters into lightly, but one made in alignment with our institutional principles,” Interim President Henry Bienen wrote in a message to students and staff Friday.
Bienen said Northwestern had “clear lines we refused to cross,” which included retaining full authority over hiring decisions and admissions practices.
“Northwestern runs Northwestern,” he said. “Period.”
As part of the agreement, the university will create a special Board of Trustees committee to oversee compliance, maintain adherence to federal anti-discrimination laws, and guarantee “safe and fair opportunities for women, including single-sex housing for any woman, defined on the basis of sex, who requests it, as well as all-female sports teams, locker rooms and shower facilities.”
Northwestern also pledged to implement measures to protect Jewish students, faculty and staff.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the settlement a “major victory” for both the university and higher education as a whole.
“The deal secures policy changes that will protect students and campus members from discrimination and harassment, and recommits the school to merit-based hiring and admissions,” she said.
Officials from the Justice Department also applauded the outcome.
“Universities receiving federal funds must follow the law, which includes preventing racial discrimination and antisemitism,” said Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the DOJ Civil Rights Division. “We appreciate the meaningful steps Northwestern has taken and welcome an agreement that protects the rights of all applicants, students and employees.”
Former Northwestern President Michael Schill, who stepped down in September, testified before a House education committee last year about the university’s response to campus demonstrations. House Republicans criticized his approach to dismantling pro-Palestinian protest encampments.
Schill defended his negotiations with student protesters while stressing that he did not allow the encampments to remain and rejected demands for the university to divest from companies supporting Israel.