Trump administration accuses Columbia University of civil rights violations, threatens accreditation over antisemitism concerns

US Education Department threatens Columbia University’s accreditation

The Trump administration has launched a dispute with Columbia University, alleging the school may have violated federal anti-discrimination laws, potentially jeopardizing its accreditation.

Officials said the university “no longer appears to meet the Commission’s accreditation standards.”

Columbia has failed to protect Jewish students from harassment, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the Education Department. This came after joint investigation by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Replying to this the University said in the statement that 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,” the statement released by the university read.

The investigation, launched in February, found that Columbia University failed to take adequate action to shield Jewish students from persistent harassment, effectively denying them equal educational opportunities.

According to the administration, the university has been in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack that killed over 1,200 people in Israel. In retaliation, Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in more than 54,000 deaths.