Harvard University is in talks with the Trump administration to pay up to $500 million in a potential settlement aimed at restoring its access to federal research funding, sources familiar with the negotiations told The New York Times.

According to the report, Harvard is reluctant to pay the government directly, though it has expressed a willingness to invest hundreds of millions to fulfil the administration’s demands, reports the Times. The exact terms — including how and where the money would be spent — remain under negotiation.

Neither Harvard nor federal officials have publicly confirmed the report.

The sum would make the deal more than double the $200 million fine paid by Columbia University last week in a similar agreement that saw its federal funding reinstated.

“Harvard wants to settle,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday, noting the Massachusetts-based Ivy League giant had shown signs of capitulation after witnessing Columbia’s deal. “But Columbia handled it better,” he added, suggesting Harvard may have misplayed its cards during the long-running dispute.

“The bottom line is we’re not going to give any more money to Harvard,” Trump said. “We want to spread the wealth.”

The Harvard university has faced scrutiny over accusations of failing to adequately respond to antisemitic incidents on campus, a claim Harvard has challenged in court.

COLUMBIA SETTLES ANTISEMITISM PROBE

Last week, Columbia University announced that it has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was cancelled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus.

Under the agreement, the Ivy League school will pay a $200 million settlement over three years. It will also pay $21 million to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Jewish employees that occurred following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, the White House said.

The Trump administration is investigating dozens of universities over allegations that they failed to address campus antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war, leading to federal funding freezes at several institutions.

– Ends

With inputs from Agencies