WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has initiated a formal challenge to Columbia University’s accreditation, accusing the Ivy League institution of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by failing to address widespread harassment on campus, according to a letter released Wednesday by Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
In the letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the independent body responsible for Columbia’s accreditation, McMahon asserted that the New York university “acted with deliberate indifference toward the harassment of Jewish students,” a failure that she said constitutes a breach of federal anti-discrimination laws.
“Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid,” McMahon wrote, calling Columbia’s response “immoral” and “unlawful.” The department said the university “no longer appears to meet the Commission’s accreditation standards” due to its alleged failure to provide Jewish students with equal access to educational opportunities.
The move marks an escalation in President Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign against what he has described as a failure of elite universities to protect Jewish students in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests linked to the ongoing war in Gaza. Trump has repeatedly criticized Columbia and other institutions, claiming their inaction has enabled antisemitism and campus unrest.
In February, the Trump administration cut $400 million in federal funding to Columbia, citing concerns about antisemitism. Although the university subsequently restructured aspects of its Middle Eastern studies department and implemented policy changes in an apparent attempt to comply with federal expectations, the administration has deemed those efforts insufficient.
The Department of Education’s latest letter suggests the university’s accreditation — and thus its eligibility for billions in federal aid — is now at serious risk.
Federal accreditors such as the Middle States Commission play a critical role in determining which institutions are eligible for student financial aid, research funding, and other forms of federal support. A loss of accreditation would severely undermine Columbia’s financial and academic operations.
The Education Department claims Columbia’s leadership failed “to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment,” effectively denying those students equal educational access under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
So far, Columbia University has not issued a public response to the department’s allegations or the potential threat to its accreditation.
The Trump administration has widened its scrutiny to other campuses, including Harvard University, which is currently battling federal legal challenges related to its funding and its right to accept international students. The White House has cited similar concerns over antisemitism at Harvard, arguing that elite institutions have failed to uphold civil rights protections in the face of growing anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses.
McMahon’s letter suggests more institutions may come under review. “The Department has an obligation to promptly provide accreditors with any noncompliance findings related to member institutions,” she wrote, indicating that additional accreditation reviews may be forthcoming.
The letter comes amid Trump’s broader push to overhaul higher education. Earlier this year, he signed an executive order revising the university accreditation process, granting the Education Department greater leverage over institutions receiving federal funding.
As the debate intensifies over the balance between free speech and civil rights on U.S. campuses, Columbia now finds itself at the center of a legal and political firestorm that could redefine the federal government’s role in academic oversight.
