Education Department says new transparency portal reveals scale and sources of overseas money flowing into American universities.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
American colleges and universities reported more than $5.2 billion in foreign gifts and contracts in 2025 across more than 8,300 transactions, according to a Feb. 11 statement from the Department of Education.
The figures come from disclosures required under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which mandates that institutions receiving federal funds report foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more. The data were compiled into a federal database and reported by The Epoch Times.
According to the department, Carnegie Mellon University received nearly $1 billion in foreign funding last year, making it the top recipient. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology followed at nearly $1 billion, while Stanford University received more than $775 million and Harvard University more than $324 million.
Qatar was identified as the largest foreign source of funds in 2025, contributing more than $1 billion to U.S. educational institutions. The United Kingdom ranked second at more than $633 million, followed by China at more than $528 million. Switzerland provided more than $451 million, Japan contributed $374 million, Germany more than $292 million, and Saudi Arabia more than $285 million.
The information is available through a foreign funding higher education platform launched earlier this year by the Trump administration. The dataset reflects reports submitted through Dec. 16, 2025.
Since Section 117 was enacted in 1986, institutions have reported a cumulative $67.6 billion in foreign funding across 555 colleges and universities, according to the department’s platform.
Over that multidecade period, Qatar again ranked as the top aggregate donor at $7.7 billion, followed by China at $6.4 billion and Germany at $4.7 billion. Harvard University was the leading recipient overall, receiving $4.2 billion, with Carnegie Mellon at $3.9 billion and MIT at $3.5 billion.
Harvard also led in funding received from parties located in countries designated as “countries of concern,” totaling $610 million. MIT received more than $490 million from such sources, and New York University more than $462 million. Countries of concern include China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, and others identified by the State Department.
“Thanks to the Trump Administration’s new accountability portal, the American people have unprecedented visibility into the foreign dollars flowing into our colleges and universities—including funding from countries and entities that are involved in activities that threaten America’s national security,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.
“This marks a new era of transparency for the American people and streamlined compliance for colleges and universities, making it easier than ever for institutions to meet their legal obligations.”
In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the education secretary to strengthen enforcement of foreign funding reporting requirements. The order stated: “It is the policy of my Administration to end the secrecy surrounding foreign funds in American educational institutions, protect the marketplace of ideas from propaganda sponsored by foreign governments, and safeguard America’s students and research from foreign exploitation.”
The Department of Education said it has initiated four Section 117 investigations since the start of the Trump administration, citing concerns about “inaccurate and untimely foreign source gift and contract disclosures.” The institutions under investigation include Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, and the University of California–Berkeley.
The administration has also been involved in legal disputes with universities over funding and campus policies. In July 2025, the administration withheld $584 million in research funding from the University of California–Los Angeles, alleging failure to address anti-Semitism and discriminatory admissions practices. Associations and labor groups representing employees across the University of California system filed suit in September 2025, alleging violations of First Amendment rights. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in November 2025 blocking the funding cuts.
Harvard filed its own lawsuit in April seeking restoration of $2.2 billion in contracts and grants that had been frozen. A federal judge reversed the funding freeze, finding that the government had violated First Amendment protections while pursuing efforts to counter anti-Semitism. The Department of Justice appealed the ruling in December 2025.
On Feb. 2, Trump announced that his administration would seek $1 billion in damages from Harvard, calling the university “strongly anti-Semitic.”
The Education Department said the newly launched transparency portal is intended to provide public access to foreign funding disclosures while reinforcing compliance with federal reporting laws.
Original article
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