DOE targets Columbia's accreditation over antisemitism allegations
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The Trump administration has pulled some $400 million in funding from Columbia University since March. Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Department of Education initiated the process to remove Columbia University's accreditation on Wednesday over its antisemitism allegations.
Why it matters: The move represents an escalation on the part of the Trump administration, despite the institution caving to the White House's demands, which included severely punishing students and alumni engaging in pro-Palestine protests.
- The Trump administration has pulled some $400 million in funding from the university since March.
- Columbia University violated federal civil rights law by "acting with deliberate indifference toward student-on-student harassment of Jewish students" from Oct. 7, 2023 through the present, a Trump administration investigation alleged Thursday.
What they're saying: A Columbia spokesperson told Axios the college "was "aware of the concerns raised" by the department's Office for Civil Rights on Wednesday to its accreditor and the university had addressed those concerns directly with Middle States.
- "Columbia is deeply committed to combating antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it," the spokesperson added in the email.
- Columbia's accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), confirmed to Axios that it received the DOE's note, but declined to make any additional comments.
Driving the news: The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) told the MSCHE that the school is "in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the Commission."
- In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that the school's leadership "acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus" after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
- "Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid," McMahon said.
- "They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal anti-discrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards."
What we're watching: The note also suggests that other universities facing Trump threats – such as Harvard – will see threats to their accreditation.
- Citing President Trump's "Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education" executive order, the note says that "The Department has an obligation to promptly provide accreditors with any noncompliance findings related to member institutions."
Editor's note: This story will be updated with additional developments and comment from a Columbia University spokesperson.
