Northwestern University will see nearly $800 million in federal research funding restored after reaching a settlement with the Trump administration, both the university and the U.S. Justice Department confirmed on Friday. Under the agreement, Northwestern will pay $75 million over three years to resolve federal complaints concerning its admissions practices, transgender policies, and response to antisemitism on campus. The settlement specifies that the payment does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing, according to Northwestern President Henry Bienen.
In return, the federal government will close all pending investigations and reinstate the university’s eligibility for future grants and contracts. The research funding freeze, imposed in April following Republican criticism of the university’s handling of campus antisemitism during Gaza war protests, is expected to be fully lifted within a month. The Trump administration had also launched probes into whether Northwestern’s admissions used unlawful racial preferences and whether its policies conflicted with federal rules regarding transgender participation in women’s sports.
Northwestern emphasized that the agreement preserves its academic freedom, including autonomy in admissions, faculty hiring, curriculum, and academic speech. The university highlighted recent measures to combat antisemitism, including expanded reporting systems and enhanced support for Jewish students. While Northwestern agreed to comply with updated Title IX rules to protect women’s access to single-sex facilities and sports, the settlement imposes no new restrictions on transgender students’ identity or self-expression.
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