
Brown University reaches agreement with Trump administration to restore funding
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Brown University reaches agreement with Trump administration to restore funding
The agreement affirms that the government does not have the authority to dictate the school’s teaching, learning and academic speech. It also reimburses more than $50 million in unpaid federal research grant costs and allows the university to compete for future grants. The agreement comes with a three-year monitoring process, according to a White House fact sheet. Brown is the third Ivy League university to reach an agreement with the Trump administration, which has sought to force cultural change at universities. The University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University reached deals in recent weeks, with Columbia agreeing to pay the federal government $200 million, among other terms, to restore research funding. Harvard University has challenged the administration with two lawsuits in federal court, and colleges across the country are following the developments closely as they seek to navigate the politically fraught moment.
The agreement affirms that the government does not have the authority to dictate the school’s teaching, learning and academic speech. It resolves three reviews by federal agencies of Brown’s compliance with nondiscrimination laws, reimburses more than $50 million in unpaid federal research grant costs and allows the university to compete for future grants.
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Brown is the third Ivy League university to reach an agreement with the Trump administration, which has sought to force cultural change at universities. The University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University reached deals in recent weeks, with Columbia agreeing to pay the federal government $200 million, among other terms, to restore research funding.
The Washington Post previously reported that the administration is in talks with multiple schools to reach a deal similar to Columbia’s.
Harvard University has challenged the administration with two lawsuits in federal court. And colleges across the country are following the developments closely as they seek to navigate the politically fraught moment.
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“Clearly, Brown weighed all of its options and made the decision that it thought was right for its students and faculty in the long-term interest of the college,” said Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education. “It’s also really clear that, once again, this is not public policy. This is extortion followed by a deal. The administration has simply levied a punishment on them without any evidence that there’s been wrongdoing.”
Mitchell did note that the agreement “takes money and puts it to use to serve a public purpose,” as opposed to Columbia’s deal.
Brown was not previously given a reason for the government freezing its research funding, university officials have said. Some other schools targeted with massive research funding freezes in recent months were told why, while some were not.
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Brown’s president, Christina H. Paxson, said Brown denies any fault or violation of federal law.
“The University’s foremost priority throughout discussions with the government was remaining true to our academic mission, our core values and who we are as a community at Brown,” Paxson wrote.
The university pledged to continue initiatives to support Jewish students.
It made concessions: The school pledged not to perform gender-reassignment surgery or treatments on minors. It will instead refer students to nonuniversity providers. (The agreement will not change medical training, the university noted, and does not apply to health systems that are separate entities, such as Brown University Health.)
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And Brown will provide data on admissions and diversity efforts to the government to ensure compliance with federal law. After a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2023 rejecting the use of race-conscious admissions policies, colleges changed practices. The Trump administration has asked some colleges, including Columbia, to provide data on applicants.
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The agreement comes with a three-year monitoring process, according to a White House fact sheet, which said the university’s alleged failure to address antisemitism on campus raised urgent concerns.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the Trump administration “is successfully reversing the decades-long woke-capture of our nation’s higher education institutions. Because of the Trump Administration’s resolution agreement with Brown University, aspiring students will be judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex.”
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/07/30/brown-university-trump-agreement/