Columbia Fails to Meet Accreditation Status, Trump Admin Warns [View all]
Last edited Wed Jun 4, 2025, 05:46 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Newsweek
The United States Department of Education (DOE) determined that Columbia University has violated a federal civil rights law, the DOE said Wednesday in a press release.
The notification comes after the DOE opened an investigation into the University in February.
"The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today notified Middle States Commission on Higher Education (the Commission) that its member institution, Columbia University, is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the Commission," the release said.
Why It Matters
Colleges without federal accreditation lose access to federal student aid, preventing millions of prospective and current students from getting the financial help they may need in order to be able to afford attendance.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/columbia-fails-meet-accreditation-status-trump-admin-warns-2081112
Trump is punishing Columbia for protests related to Gaza. This threat is despite the actions Columbia has already taken to appease Trump. Threatening Columbia with the loss of its accreditation is part of Trump's plan to attack Ivy League Universities, using Jewish students as the pretext.
It follows the cancellation of $400m in federal grants and contracts, after which the university yielded to a series of changes demanded by the administration, including setting up a new disciplinary committee, initiating investigations into students critical of Israel's war in Gaza, and ceding control of its Middle East studies department.
Columbia was at the forefront of student encampment protests last spring, with more direct action protests erupting in recent weeks and jeers at leadership at commencement ceremonies last month, and has cycled through a series of university presidents in the past 18 months.
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