Why is Columbia University's accreditation under threat from the Trump administration?

Trump’s administration is trying to take away Columbia University’s accreditation because it says the university didn’t protect Jewish students properly. This move could stop Columbia students from getting federal loans and aid, which would make it super expensive and hard to attend for many students, as per reports.

US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Columbia ignored the harassment of Jewish students after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. McMahon called Columbia’s actions “immoral” and “unlawful”, saying the university didn’t follow anti-discrimination laws. She wrote a letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, saying Columbia doesn't seem to meet the standards needed to stay accredited, according to an NDTV World report.

The accreditation is super important because it decides if a school can get federal money from the US Education Department. Columbia already lost $400 million in federal grants and contracts earlier in February 2025 due to how it handled antisemitism issues. Even though Columbia made changes, like fixing its Middle Eastern Studies department, the Trump team was still not satisfied, as per the report by Firstpost.

Trump has also gone after other universities like Harvard, blaming them for not protecting Jewish students during protests over the Israel-Gaza war. The whole situation is part of Trump’s bigger fight with top US colleges, accusing them of being unfair and not doing enough to stop antisemitism, as stated in the reports.

FAQs

Q1. Why is Columbia University in trouble with the government?
The Trump administration believes that the university failed to curb anti-semitism in the campus.

Q2. What will happen if Columbia loses its accreditation?
Students might not get federal loans or aid, making it very expensive to study there.