Trump administration imposes new restrictions on Harvard

Saturday 20 September 2025 - 13:11

By: Sahili Aya

Trump administration imposes new restrictions on Harvard

The Trump administration has announced new restrictions on Harvard University, escalating its ongoing dispute with one of the country’s most prestigious academic institutions.

On Friday, the Department of Education placed Harvard under “heightened cash monitoring” status, citing “growing concerns about its financial situation.” Under this designation, the university must advance its own money for federal student aid before being reimbursed by the government.

“Students will continue to have access to federal funds, but Harvard must cover initial disbursements to ensure that public money is spent responsibly,” the department said in a statement. In addition, Harvard is required to provide an irrevocable letter of credit worth $36 million or another acceptable financial guarantee.

The decision comes weeks after Harvard won a legal battle in Boston against the administration, which had previously frozen about $2.6 billion in federal funding. A judge ruled that the government had “used antisemitism as a pretext” to pursue an “ideologically motivated” attack against the university.

Critics accuse the Trump administration of targeting Harvard for being a stronghold of so-called “woke” ideology and for failing to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

In response, Harvard confirmed that it has begun recovering part of the frozen funds. “We are pleased with the release of $46 million in research funding by the Department of Health. This is a first step, and we hope to see all of our funding restored by federal agencies,” the university said in a statement.