Headlines in Higher Ed: Week of July 28th, 2025

K-12 funds unfrozen, Columbia settles, and UK uni applicants at record-levels

Billions in School Funds Unfrozen After Backlash

President Trump’s administration announced Friday that it will release over $5 billion in federal K-12 education funds starting next week. These funds, meant for teacher training, English learner programs, academic enrichment, and more, had been frozen on July 1 with almost no explanation. Because of the immediate disruption some school districts paused hiring, laid off staff, or delayed buying materials. The federal government claimed it was conducting a “programmatic review” to ensure the money wasn’t being used in ways that went against Trump’s policies, but many school officials and lawmakers, including a few Republicans representing rural states, openly criticized the move.

“School districts plan weeks and months in advance; they don’t plan two minutes in advance.”

Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers

Now that the funds are being released, schools are scrambling to get back on track, though some damage may be hard to reverse. Districts had already adjusted their budgets or made cuts to spending on supplies and staff hires. And with continued uncertainty surrounding the administration’s education agenda, a full return to previous spending levels remains unlikely. Just last week, Politico reported that the White House is preparing a request to Congress to slash funding for the Department of Education, casting further doubt on long-term stability.

Rapid Recap

🕵️‍♀️ Trump Admin Opens New Probe Into Harvard’s Visa Sponsorship The State Department has launched an investigation into Harvard’s J-1 visa program, escalating the Trump administration’s broader campaign to disrupt the university’s operations.

🕵️‍♂️ George Mason Also Under Fed Scrutiny The university faces four separate investigations into its practices, specifically: admissions and scholarship, hiring, tenure, and its antisemitism response.

🇬🇧 More American Students Applying to UK Schools Applicant numbers hit record levels, increasing 14% from last year, as students seek alternatives to U.S. institutions.

🏳 Columbia Settles for $221M, Disciplines Protesters Columbia University has reached a $221 million settlement with the Trump administration following months of scrutiny over its response to pro-Palestinian protests and allegations of antisemitism on campus. Go on…

Columbia Settles for $221M, Disciplines Protesters

The fine will be paid over the course of three years - a tidy sum in exchange for restored access to roughly $400 million in frozen research funding and protecting an additional “billions in future funding” according to acting president Claire Shipman. While not formally listed among the agreement’s 58 compliance conditions, the suspension or expulsion of an estimated 80 student protestors was announced just one day prior, leading at least one student group to speculate whether the sanctions were included in the agreement. The disciplinary actions stemmed from spring 2024 encampments and a May occupation of Butler Library, for which Columbia had already issued interim suspensions to 71 students. Suspended students are eligible to return within one to three years, provided an apology is submitted to administrators. As part of the deal, Columbia University is allowed to admit no wrongdoing.

What Columbia’s Settlement Stipulates

Columbia University’s $221 million settlement with the Trump administration does more than restore access to frozen federal research funding; it imposes sweeping changes across campus, from crackdowns on protests to overhauls in admissions, hiring, and academic oversight. Columbia must now enforce strict protest limits, including banning masks and restricting demonstrations in academic spaces. The agreement also curtails DEI efforts, forbids race-based preferences in admissions and hiring, and places programs like Middle Eastern studies under federal-monitored review. A third-party resolution monitor will ensure compliance, and Columbia is required to share sensitive data on admissions, student visas, and faculty hiring. Acting president Shipman insisted in a CNN interview that the deal “resets” its relationship with the government and protects academic independence.

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