ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Cornell University has agreed to pay $60 million in a settlement with the Trump administration to restore federal research funding that had been frozen for months during a dispute over alleged civil rights violations, the school announced Friday.
Under the three-year agreement, Cornell will invest $30 million into U.S. agricultural research and send another $30 million directly to the federal government to end pending claims brought against the university. The deal follows months of negotiations with federal officials and marks one of the administration’s largest settlements with an Ivy League school over alleged violations related to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
The Education Department froze Cornell’s federal funding in April, alongside suspensions at Northwestern University and several other elite institutions. The administration said the action was part of a broader effort to eliminate what it described as unlawful DEI practices in higher education.
Cornell reported that the freeze affected more than $250 million in federal research funds, halting or delaying numerous faculty and student research projects across its campuses.
University President Michael Kotlikoff said the settlement allows Cornell to move forward after “good faith” discussions with the administration. He emphasized that the agreement enables the school to resume its academic and research operations while reaffirming its right to institutional independence.
“The agreement explicitly recognizes Cornell’s right to independently establish our policies and procedures, choose whom to hire and admit, and determine what we teach, without intrusive government monitoring or approvals,” Kotlikoff said in a statement to the Cornell community. “In short, it recognizes our rights, as a private university, to define the conditions on our campuses that advance learning and produce new knowledge.”
Kotlikoff will certify the university’s compliance with the terms of the settlement repeatedly. Cornell will also provide anonymized admissions data, continue conducting campus climate surveys, and maintain federal reporting of foreign gifts and contracts.
While reaffirming Cornell’s autonomy, the agreement ends a prolonged standoff between the Ivy League institution and the administration. Officials said the restoration of funding would allow federally supported research from agriculture to engineering and medical science to resume without further interruption.
The deal mirrors recent settlements between the Trump administration and other Ivy League schools, including the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and Brown University, all of which faced similar allegations.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon celebrated the Cornell agreement in a post on X, calling it a “transformative commitment” to merit-based education.
“These reforms are a huge win in the fight to restore excellence to American higher education and make our schools the greatest in the world,” McMahon wrote.
Kotlikoff maintained that Cornell had not violated any federal civil rights laws, describing the resolution as a pragmatic outcome that protects the university’s academic mission while preserving its research partnerships.
The settlement brings an end to months of uncertainty for Cornell’s faculty and students, who rely on federal support for a wide range of research initiatives. The university said it expects all previously halted projects to restart immediately under the new agreement.
