The U.S. Department of Education released a massive cache of data last Wednesday, detailing more than $5.2 billion in foreign gifts and contracts flowing into American universities throughout 2025. This latest disclosure, which covers over 8,300 individual transactions, comes as the federal government ramps up its scrutiny of how overseas money might be influencing U.S. higher education.
Under a federal law known as Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, colleges that receive federal financial aid are required to report any foreign gifts or contracts valued at $250,000 or more within a single year.
The newly released figures show that since this reporting requirement was first established in 1986, American institutions have disclosed a staggering $67.6 billion in total foreign funding. Notably, the bulk of that sum has only been reported to the government since 2019, following a push for stricter enforcement.
To make this data more accessible, the Department has launched and updated a new online reporting portal. The site now includes visualization tools designed to help the public, lawmakers, and journalists track where the money is coming from and where it is going. According to officials, the portal now tracks 11 additional data points—a 61% increase in detail compared to previous years—including specific markers for “entities of concern” as defined 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. 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,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we remain firmly committed to ensuring that universities uphold their legal and ethical obligations to disclose the true origins of their foreign relationships. This transparency is essential not only to preserving the integrity of academic research but also to ensure the security and resilience of our nation.”
While the Department does not have the power to stop universities from taking foreign money, it is legally mandated to ensure those payments are made public.
The 2025 data highlights a handful of countries as the primary sources of funding. Qatar led the list with over $1.1 billion, followed by the United Kingdom at $633 million and China at $528 million. Switzerland, Japan, Germany, and Saudi Arabia also ranked among the top contributors.
On the receiving end, Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the charts, each pulling in nearly $1 billion in reportable foreign funds. Stanford University followed with $775 million, and Harvard University reported $324 million for the year.
However, the report also flagged significant compliance issues. Between February and December of 2025, more than $2 billion in funding was reported late, which the Department categorized as a direct violation of federal law.
Looking at the long-term data from 1986 through the end of 2025, Harvard University holds the record for the most money received from “countries of concern,” totaling over $610 million. MIT, New York University, Stanford, and Yale followed closely in that specific category.
This push for transparency follows an executive order signed by President Trump in April 2025 aimed at curbing “secrecy” regarding overseas academic funding.
The Department has also signaled it is moving beyond mere data collection; since early 2025, it has launched four formal investigations into Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, and the University of Michigan over allegations of inaccurate or missing disclosures.
Institutions that fail to comply with these transparency laws face more than just a hit to their reputation. The Department of Justice can launch civil actions to force compliance, and schools risk losing their eligibility for Title IV federal student aid programs—a move that would be financially devastating for almost any American university.
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