Now, Trump threatens Columbia University’s accreditation: How will this impact students?

Donald Trump’s war against US universities is ongoing and escalating. On the day, the US president signed a proclamation to suspend international visas for new students at Harvard University, the Trump administration also escalated its battle with Columbia University, notifying the New York education institution that the school doesn’t meet accreditation standards because of its failure to protect Jewish students.

This is a huge move against Columbia University, a decision that could significantly impact students’ access to federal loans and aid. This threat also comes after the administration cancelled $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia over its handling of antisemitism claims.

As Trump keeps up his attack on elite universities, we take a closer look at just what it means if Columbia loses accreditation.

What’s the latest in Trump vs Columbia?

On Wednesday, Trump took his fight against Columbia one step ahead with Education Secretary Linda McMahon sending a letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the non-governmental organisation that accredits Columbia, stating that New York City college “acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students” in a manner that violated federal anti-discrimination laws.

The letter said that because Columbia was in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, the Education Department believes it fails to meet the standards for accreditation.

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“University accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards,” Linda McMahon said in a news release. She said the government looked forward to being “fully informed of actions taken to ensure Columbia’s compliance with accreditation standards, including compliance with federal civil rights laws.”

In the statement, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said that after an investigation, which began in February, the two departments found that “Columbia failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia’s campus and consequently denied these students’ equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law”.

“This is not only immoral, but also unlawful,” McMahon further added.

What would it mean if Columbia loses accreditation?

But what exactly does all of this mean? Essentially, Trump is threatening to strip Columbia’s accreditation. For those who don’t know, accreditation, which is a mundane aspect of higher education, gives a college the ability to qualify for federal student loans and Pell Grants — a source of financial aid.

This means that if the Trump administration through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education does nullify Columbia’s accreditation it would be stripping the university’s ability to receive federal grants, making it inaccessible to most across the country.

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How? With a price tag of more than $71,000 per year for tuition and fees (not including room and board), losing access to federal student loans and Pell Grants would make Columbia unaffordable to most across the US. In fact, the university’s website says it awards $225 million each year in scholarships and grants and that 24 per cent of first-year students receive Pell Grants.

However, some experts note that Trump’s latest move poses no immediate risk as revoking accreditation could take years. “This is another semi-random attack against a celebrity institution,” Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, an association that includes many colleges and universities in its membership, told the New York Times. “They are trying once again to skirt due process in order to score political points.”

Antoinette Flores, the director of higher education accountability and quality at New America, a Washington think tank, also told the New York Times that the letter “is definitely an escalation. It is trying to weaponise the accreditor to get the institution to bend to its will.”

How has Columbia University reacted?

Columbia University reacting to the Education Department’s letter said it is “aware of the concerns raised” by the agency to the commission, adding, “We have addressed those concerns directly with Middle States.”

“Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it,” reads the statement on the university’s website.

What actions have Trump taken against Columbia so far?

The attack on Columbia’s accreditation is the latest in Trump’s war against the elite educational institutions of America.

Back in March, the Trump administration pulled $400 million in federal grants from Columbia stating that it had failed to squelch antisemitism on campus. It demanded the Ivy League school make numerous changes to disciplinary and other policies to even begin talks of resuming federal funding.

Within two weeks, Columbia met the administration’s demands.

The Ivy League university has been on Trump’s radar for quite some time — it was the epicentre for anti-Israel student protest movements, with some of the first student encampments cropping up on its lawn in April 2024.

Later, it continued to create buzz with the arrests of its high-profile student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil in March and Mohsen Mahdawi in April. Both have been released, but face deportation proceedings.

Trump’s administration accuses the college of permitting demonstrators to create unsafe conditions for Jewish students on campus, something the students and college authorities have denied repeatedly.

With inputs from agencies