Northwestern University officials this week agreed to pay a $75 million fine to end a federal civil rights investigation and restore $790 million in research funding. File Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI | License Photo
The federal government is ending its anti-Semitism investigation at Northwestern University in exchange for a $75 million fine in an agreement that restores $790 million in federal funding for research.
The Chicago-area private university must abide by federal anti-discrimination laws regarding admissions and hiring and initiate mandatory anti-Semitism training for students, staff and faculty as part of the deal, the Chicago Sun Times reported.
University officials also must enact and maintain policies that clearly regulate protests and other “expressive activities,” review its policies regarding international admissions and end its Deering Meadow agreement that enabled “peaceful” protests at the university’s 2-acre park.
“This is not an agreement the university enters into lightly, but one that was made based on institutional values,” interim President Henry Bienen said, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
Attorney General Pam Bondi called the settlement a win for civil rights.
“Today’s settlement marks another victory for the Trump administration’s fight to ensure that American educational institutions protect Jewish students and put merit first,” Bondi said in a statement.
“Institutions that accept federal funds are obligated to follow civil rights law,” Bondi added. “We are grateful to Northwestern for negotiating this historic deal.”
Bienen said university officials had several “hard lines” that they refused to cross when negotiating the settlement.
“We would not relinquish any control over whom we hire, whom we admit as students, what our faculty would teach or how our faculty would teach,” he said.
University officials said they will review their international admissions criteria and develop training to better socialize international students so that they understand the campus norms regarding open debate and inquiry.
Northwestern’s board of trustees also will create a committee to ensure the university complies with the agreement with the federal government.
The university must pay its $75 million fine in increments over the next three years, which is the second-highest amount being paid by a college or university to settle accusations of discrimination and anti-Semitism amid pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Columbia University in New York City earlier agreed to pay a $200 million fine to settle claims made against it by federal investigators.
The $790 million in federal research funding that had been suspended should be restored by the end of December, according to Bienen.
President Donald Trump pardons turkeys for Thanksgiving
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump pardon Gobble, the National Thanksgiving Turkey, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on November 25, 2025. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo
