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Trump Officials Target Columbia Accreditation Over Protests | Bloomberg Businessweek
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June 5, 2025
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The Education Department said Columbia University no longer appeared to meet accreditation standards after concluding that the school is in violation of anti-discrimination laws, the latest effort by the Trump administration to target elite schools over their handling of pro-Palestinian protests.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement that the school’s leadership “acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus” after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel. The Education Department said it had notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that the administration found that the school failed to meaningfully protect students during the protests, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The department also cited federal law which they said required accreditors to notify member institutions if they were in noncompliance and establish a plan to bring them back into compliance.
Any revocation of the school’s accreditation could have significant implications for students. Some 21% of Columbia College and Columbia Engineering undergraduates receive the Pell Grant, a type of federal aid for high-need students, according to figures on the university’s website. Removing access to federal student loans would also increase borrowing costs for many students financing their education, while federally-backed work-study programs could also be under threat.
McMahon has been in communication with university President Claire Shipman since the administration pulled some $400 million in federal grants and contracts from the school in March. Last month, Shipman announced that Columbia was cutting nearly 180 staff members after reductions to its federal funding.
President Donald Trump and McMahon have previously suggested that conversations with Columbia were headed in the right direction, especially compared to another Ivy-League institution, Harvard University, which has launched legal challenges against the administration’s decision to cancel its federal funding and revoke its license to admit international students.
The Department of Education does not have the authority to revoke a school’s accreditation, that authority lies with accrediting agencies like MSCHE. But the federal government can stop recognizing an accreditor as a reliable judge of the quality of higher education, which chokes off federal aid from an agency’s member schools.
Today's show features:
Bloomberg News White House Reporter Akayla Gardner on the White House saying Columbia University no longer meets accreditation standards
Henrietta Treyz, Co-Founder and Director of Economic Policy at Veda Partners on key fiscal policy and trade issues facing the Trump administration and the GOP-led Congress
Brent Schutte, Chief Investment Officer of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management on the outlook for US monetary and fiscal policy changes
Bloomberg News Senior Technology Reporter Dana Hull on the Big Take detailing Elon Musk’s push to bring robotaxis to Austin, Texas even as federal regulators investigate whether the system is safe
Bloomberg Businessweek Editor Brad Stone on his Dan Gilbert feature story
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