CHICAGO — Northwestern University will pay a $75 million fine to settle allegations of antisemitism from the Trump administration, restoring hundreds of millions of federal funding, officials announced Friday.

As part of the agreement, Northwestern also said it will continue following federal anti-discrimination laws, review its international admission policies and terminate an agreement reached with pro-Palestinian demonstrators last year.

The nearly $800 million in federal research funding was abruptly paused in April. The money is expected to be fully restored within 30 days, according to a statement from Northwestern University interim President Henry Bienen.

“This is not an agreement the University enters into lightly, but one that was made based on institutional values,” Bienen said. “As an imperative to the negotiation of this agreement, we had several hard red lines we refused to cross: We would not relinquish any control over whom we hire, whom we admit as students, what our faculty teach or how our faculty teach.”

Other universities have agreed to pay fines to restore federal funding, as President Donald Trump pressures institutions to align with his political priorities. He has particularly criticized elite universities as hubs of antisemitism and progressive culture.

Northwestern’s $75 million settlement, to be paid over three years, is the second-highest amount agreed to by a university. In August, Columbia University pledged to pay $200 million in a similar deal.

“Today’s settlement marks another victory in the Trump Administration’s fight to ensure that American educational institutions protect Jewish students and put merit first,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. “Institutions that accept federal funds are obligated to follow civil rights law — we are grateful to Northwestern for negotiating this historic deal.”

The deal will allow Northwestern to draw on all research funding, including overdue payments, lift any stop-work orders on non-terminated grants and protect the university’s eligibility for future grants. It will also close all pending investigations from the Department of Education, Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services related to anti-discrimination laws and race-based admissions.

As part of the agreement, Northwestern also said it would commit to Title IX — which prohibits sex-based discrimination — by providing single-sex housing and locker room facilities for women upon request.

Additionally, it will review its international admissions and develop training “to socialize international students to the norms of a campus dedicated to inquiry and open debate,” Bienen said. To ensure compliance, Northwestern said it will establish a committee on its board of trustees dedicated to the agreement.

The paused funds had sent shockwaves through Northwestern’s research infrastructure beginning in April. As administrators scrambled to cover expenses, they resorted to a string of budget cuts — including hundreds of layoffs this summer.

The intense federal pressure led to the abrupt resignation of former President Michael Schill in September. Schill had faced an onslaught of conservative criticism since last year over his handling of Northwestern’s pro-Palestinian encampment and the resulting agreement he reached with demonstrators.

In its deal with the Trump administration, Northwestern said it would terminate that agreement.

©2025 Chicago Tribune. Visit chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.