Settlement Agreement Reached: President Donald J. Trump Resolves Dispute with Brown University
In a landmark announcement in July 2025, Brown University reached a settlement with President Donald J. Trump's administration, addressing various issues of concern, including racial discrimination, workforce development, gender definitions, protections for minors, support for Jewish students, and ongoing oversight.
Key provisions of the settlement include:
- Brown University has agreed to cease unlawful racial discrimination in admissions and university programs, granting full access to relevant data for monitoring merit-based admissions compliance.
- The university will contribute $50 million over ten years to Rhode Island state workforce development organisations that uphold anti-discrimination laws, promoting regional economic growth and career opportunities.
- Brown will adopt the definitions of “male” and “female” from President Trump’s Executive Order 14168, which restricts participation in women’s sports, programming, facilities, and housing accordingly.
- The university will prohibit gender reassignment surgeries and the prescription of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for minors.
- Measures will be taken to improve the campus environment for Jewish students and combat anti-Semitism.
- All previously withheld Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants to Brown will be reinstated, restoring eligibility for future grants and closing pending federal investigations.
- The settlement establishes a three-year monitoring period to ensure Brown’s ongoing compliance with the agreement and federal civil rights laws.
This settlement is part of a broader Trump administration initiative aimed at addressing alleged civil rights violations at multiple universities, with a focus on fairness and safety in higher education. Brown’s president described the deal as a voluntary agreement affirming the government’s oversight role in higher education funding.
The settlement comes after public outcry over incidents and civil rights investigations into Brown’s alleged discrimination on the basis of race and national origin. It marks a significant win for accountability in academia and aims to foster an environment of academic excellence and safety for all students at Brown.
Additionally, the Trump Administration took action against other universities, such as Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Administration suspended foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard, negotiated a resolution with the University of Pennsylvania to keep men out of women's sports and restore women's trophies and records, and secured a more than $200 million settlement with Columbia University to resolve claims related to discriminatory practices.
The Trump Administration is ensuring that elite universities prioritize fairness, merit, and American values. The settlement with Brown University underscores this commitment to upholding merit-based standards and complying with federal law. The settlement also aims to set a precedent for future interactions between universities and the federal government, emphasizing the importance of fairness and accountability in higher education.
[1] Source: White House Press Release, July 2025 [3] Source: Brown University Press Release, July 2025
- The settlement between Brown University and the Trump administration, a significant win for accountability in academia, will see the institution contribute $50 million over ten years to Rhode Island state workforce development organizations, focusing on regional economic growth and career opportunities.
- The Trump administration's initiative encompasses various universities, aiming to foster an environment of academic excellence and safety, as can be observed in the stance against gender reassignment surgeries and the prescription of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for minors at Brown University.
- In a broader context, the Trump Administration has taken decisive steps to ensure that elite universities align with American values, with actions against Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Pennsylvania to prioritize fairness, merit, and compliance with federal law in education-and-self-development, sports, and general-news matters.
