Home

Eight-point-seven billion.

Four-hundred million.

One-hundred-seventy-five million.

These are just some examples of the money the federal government has withheld or is threatening to withhold from various colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and Harvard University.

That $8.7 billion figure was announced earlier this week by the Trump administration, which said that it’s reviewing federal grants and contracts awarded to Harvard because Harvard has not done enough to curb antisemitism on campus.

Some educators say the administration’s moves to cut funding at colleges and universities amounts to a war on higher education. But the loss of those funds will be felt far beyond the college campuses.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy