Trump administration steps up efforts to scrutinize foreign funding of universities

By Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is stepping up work to uncover what it sees as malign foreign influence at U.S. colleges ​and universities, officials said on Monday as they announced ‌that the State Department would assist the Department of Education in that effort.

President Donald Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to universities over issues such as pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel’s war in Gaza, transgender policies, climate initiatives ‌and diversity, ​equity and inclusion programs, raising free speech ⁠and academic freedom concerns.

Trump in ⁠April 2025 issued an executive order calling for enforcement of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires colleges that receive federal funding to report gifts or contracts worth ​more than $250,000 from any foreign source, and the Department of Education in December launched a new portal for universities to ⁠report that funding.

Under Secretary for Public ⁠Diplomacy Sarah Rogers said the State Department’s new role ​would “ensure an invigorated compliance assurance effort by the federal government.”

“The Department ​of State will be applying our national security expertise ‌and our expertise countering foreign malign influence to bolster oversight efforts by the Department of Education,” Rogers told reporters in a briefing at the State Department.

Officials declined to spell out specific examples ⁠of how foreign funding had unduly influenced higher education institutions, and said they were primarily seeking to boost compliance by the universities and improve ⁠transparency.

The U.S. Senate ‌subcommittee on investigations in 2019 issued a report ⁠documenting China’s impact on the U.S. education ​system, sparking ‌renewed enforcement of the disclosure rules.

U.S. colleges and ​universities disclosed ⁠8,300 transactions totaling $5.2 billion in 2025 – which includes funding from governments as well as private companies and individuals, the education department said in a statement. The largest source of funding last year was Qatar ($1.1 billion), followed by Britain ($633 million) and China ($528 million), it said.

(Editing ​by Stephen Coates)