US says Columbia University discriminated against Jews, should lose accreditation

The US Department of Education said Wednesday it has notified a university accreditation body that it believes Columbia University has violated federal anti-discrimination laws through a failure to protect Jewish students on its campus.

Columbia was an epicenter of widespread anti-Israel and in some cases antisemitic protests on campuses across the US last year that saw frequent expressions of support for the Hamas terror group and its October 7, 2023, attack, on southern Israel, as well as violations of school rules and local law, and is one of a number of schools whose funding US President Donald Trump has threatened.

“Columbia University looked the other way as Jewish students faced harassment,” US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said on X.

She accused the Ivy League school of “breaking Title VI protections,” referring to a national law that prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

“After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus,” McMahon said in a statement.

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

In the statement, the US Education Department said its civil rights office had contacted Columbia’s accreditor about the alleged violation.

It said it had notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that “its member institution, Columbia University, is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the Commission.”

It is not clear how the Middle States Commission, which, like other accrediting agencies, is independent, will respond to the notification.

Withdrawing Columbia’s accreditation would see it lose access to all federal funds.

Students attending the university would also not be able to receive federal grants and loans toward tuition.

Critics accuse the Trump administration of using allegations of antisemitism to target educational elites and bring universities to their knees.

The Trump administration has already put $400 million of Columbia’s funding under review, prompting the university in March to announce a package of concessions to the government relating to defining antisemitism, policing protests and conducting oversight for specific academic departments.

Washington has also sought to deport several prominent campus activists at Columbia, citing the secretary of state’s authority to revoke the visas of immigrants who have endorsed terror groups or whom he otherwise deems a national security threat.

Following Wednesday’s announcement, a Columbia spokesperson said the university is “aware of the concerns” raised by the government with its accreditor.

“We have addressed those concerns directly with Middle States,” the spokesperson said, adding that “Columbia is deeply committed to combating anti-Semitism on our campus.”

“We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it.”

Columbia found itself at the center of a firestorm last year over claims of antisemitism triggered by campus protests over the ongoing war in Gaza that included harassment of Jewish students, an unauthorized protest encampment, building takeovers, clashes with police and property damage.

Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the major student coalition organizing the protests, has called for the “eradication of western civilization,” distributed Hamas material on campus, backed calls for violence against “Zionists” and said that “violence is the only path.”

Columbia’s former president Minouche Shafik resigned last August weeks before the start of the new school year, citing scrutiny she faced over her handling of the demonstrations.