CAMBRIDGE, M.A. — Harvard University said Monday that it will not comply with the federal government’s demands for “unprecedented” changes to its leadership, hiring, admissions and student groups amid threats by the Trump administration to pull nearly $9 billion in funding from the school. 

What You Need To Know

• Harvard University President Alan Garber said that the school will not comply with the federal government’s demands for “unprecented” to its leadership, hiring and admissions, putting it at risk of losing nearly $9 billion in federal funding
• Last month, the Department of Education, Health and Human Services and U.S. General Services Administration announced they were conducting a comprehensive review of contracts and grants awarded to Harvard over concerns of antisemitism on campus
• Harvard is the first university among several targeted by the federal government over concerns of antisemitism on campus to reject proposed policy changes and risk losing federal funding. 

In a statement, Harvard President Alan Garber said the university’s lawyers have informed the administration that they will not accept the deal that would have required Harvard to enact “merit-based” hiring and admissions, institute a comprehensive mask ban, allow an outside party to audit “viewpoint diversity” in the school community and eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 

Harvard is the first university among several targeted by the federal government over concerns of antisemitism on campus to reject proposed policy changes and risk losing federal funding. 

“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Garber wrote. “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”

In their response to federal officials, attorneys for Harvard said that the university was “open to dialogue” but said the school was not “prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.” 

Garber cited the notice sent by the General Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Education late Friday, which he said expanded the list of demands made earlier this month.

Among the new terms, government officials said the school must not admit students “hostile to American values and institutions,” report any foreign student who violates the school’s code of conduct immediately to the Department of Homeland Security and State Department, and stop recognizing student groups or clubs that “engaged in antisemitic activity” since Oct. 7, 2023.

Harvard’s president said that the university has taken steps over the past 15 months to address antisemitism on campus and plans to do more.

“Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard,” Garber wrote. 

Last month, the Department of Education, Health and Human Services and U.S. General Services Administration had said they were conducting a comprehensive review of nearly $9 billion in contracts and grants awarded to Harvard and its affiliates as part of an effort to address antisemitism. 

The review followed an announcement by the Education Department in March that they were investigating Harvard and some 60 other universities “for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination” after pro-Palestinian protests on campuses last year. 

“The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year. University leaders must do better,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement at the time. 

McMahon warned that the colleges and universities could lose federal funds, and in recent weeks, the administration has taken further action. 

The White House said Wednesday that it had frozen more than $1 billion in funding for Cornell University and around $790 million for Northwestern University. 

Previously, the administration cancelled approximately $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia University and said that it was reviewing other possible cuts to the school’s total $5 billion in federal funding. However, Columbia announced two weeks later it would acquiesce to federal requests, which included putting several departments under new supervision and hiring officers who are able to arrest people. 

The Trump administration has also pulled funding from other universities over separate issues it has with the schools. On Tuesday, the Commerce secretary said the department was stripping nearly $4 million from Princeton University over its climate research, saying that Princeton’s program contributed to “climate anxiety.” 

The federal government also froze $175 million in federal contracts that had been awarded to University of Pennsylvania over a transgender athlete who competed with the school’s women’s swimming team in 2022.