April 4, 2025 — Federal Agencies Outline 9 Requirements for Harvard's $8.9B Funding

Tonight, Harvard received a letter outlining "immediate next steps" the Department of Education, Department of Health & Human Services, and General Services Administration deem necessary for Harvard's continued federal funding. These agencies had announced a review of approximately $8.9 billion in Harvard's federal funding on Monday.

We'll provide more updates and analysis in our weekly newsletter, but here's a brief FAQ about the current situation:

What is the government asking Harvard to do?

The letter lists nine required actions:

— Establish oversight and accountability for "biased" programs and departments that "fuel antisemitism" to ensure viewpoint diversity and no bias.

— Reform disciplinary policies, including a comprehensive mask ban, and review all "antisemitic rule violations" since October 7, 2023.

— Hold student groups and their leaders accountable for Harvard policy violations, including unrecognized groups.

— Implement governance and leadership reforms that establish clear accountability and empower faculty and administrators committed to implementing these changes.

— Adopt merit-based admissions policies across all schools and programs, with "structural and personnel action that [demonstrate] these changes are durable."

— Adopt merit-based hiring reforms for faculty, staff, and leadership positions, with "structural and personnel action that [demonstrate] these changes are durable."

— Eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs that "teach...race and identity stereotypes" and "fuel division and hatred."

— Fully cooperate with law enforcement to guarantee student safety.

— Ensure transparency in reporting foreign funding to federal regulators as required by existing laws.

What stands out about this letter?

Especially compared to the March 13 letter to Columbia, this letter has three notable differences:

— The Harvard letter is less prescriptive. Columbia's letter explicitly demanded actions such as abolishing the University Judicial Board and placing the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department under "academic receivership." The letter to Harvard calls for "empower[ing] faculty and administrative leaders who are committed to implementing the changes indicated in this letter."

— The Harvard letter focuses on structural and lasting reforms, repeatedly stressing that governance, organizational structure, and personnel changes must be durable.

— The Harvard letter references "cooperation" rather than "compliance" and calls for "immediate" action without specifying a strict deadline, unlike Columbia's initial one-week deadline.

What is next?

The government explicitly states the listed reforms are "broad, non-exhaustive areas," suggesting additional demands may follow. As with Columbia, this letter appears to be a starting point for further negotiations.

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