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Colleges raking in millions in federal dollars hold their breath as Trump vows to shake up US education

President-elect Donald Trump's decisive victory has colleges and universities on high alert after he vowed to take on higher education as part of his plan to overhaul the U.S. education system.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.  (Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump has repeatedly targeted colleges and universities on the campaign trail, pledging to free higher learning in America from the grip of what he called "Marxist Maniacs." His platform for 2024 calls for "deporting pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again." Trump has also vowed to combat "wokeness" and progressive culture in education, repeatedly railing against DEI initiatives, which he believes are inadvertently discriminatory. 

In July, Trump said that he would advance a measure to have schools "fined up to the entire amount of their endowment" if they do not desist DEI programs that engage in "explicit unlawful discrimination under the guise of equity."

Below is a list of the amounts in taxpayer-backed federal funds collected by some of the top U.S. universities in fiscal year 2023. This list documents the amounts allocated by the government for each school but does not include the additional amount of federal funding designated for student financial aid or account for federal tax breaks on their endowments.

1. Harvard

Harvard collected $676 million in federal dollars last year, accounting for roughly 66% of the school's total sponsored revenue for 2023, according to its annual financial report.

Cambridge, MA - May 23: Hundreds of graduates walked out of the 2024 Commencement in Harvard Yard to join an anti-Israel protest. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

When reached for comment, a Harvard spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to the financial report but declined to comment beyond that.

2. Columbia 

The group, comprised of alumni and former Columbia professors, conducted an analysis into how a Trump presidency might impact the university's overall budget, concluding that $3.5 billion, or roughly 55% of Columbia’s $6.4 billion operating budget, is exposed to institutional risk, of which an estimated $2.4 billion is in federal funding. The group estimates $250 million to $1.3 billion is at risk in the short term.

The society pleaded with the school to enforce campus rules and hold students and staff accountable to prevent Trump from withholding federal funding by accusing the university of violating Title VI.

Anti-Israel demonstrators at an encampment at Columbia University in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York, US, on Monday, April 22, 2024.  (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Columbia dominated headlines earlier this year as the scene of some of the most high-profile anti-Israel unrest, hosting days-long encampments and protests that led to violence, canceled classes and arrests. The House Committee on Education and the Workforce concluded in a recent report that the university was "the site of some of the most disturbing and extreme antisemitic conduct violations in the country." 

House Republicans pushed for legislation to force Columbia and other colleges to be transparent about their policies regarding campus protests. The bill, titled, the No Tax Dollars For College Encampments Act, would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require universities that receive federal funds to disclose what kind of policies they have to deal with civil disturbances on campus, and how they enforce those rules.

A university spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Columbia, as one of our country’s top institutions of higher education, works closely with every administration and all of our elected officials. We look forward to working with the new administration and the newly elected Congress."

3. University of Pennsylvania

Several major University of Pennsylvania donors have cut ties with the school over its response to the Hamas attack on Israel and to pro-Palestinian student groups. (Left: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images Right: (Photo by Paul Hennesy/Anadolu via Getty Images))

The University of Pennsylvania did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

4. Yale

Yale did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

5. Cornell

The Ithica-based university received approximately $736.3 million in 2023, the same year that then-President Martha E. Pollack shared her "gratitude" for anti-Israel agitators, thanking them for "remaining peaceful and nonviolent" as protesters ravaged the campus and threatened Jewish students.

Anti-Israel vandalism seen at Day Hall ahead of the first day of classes at Cornell University.  (Ming DeMers/Cornell Daily Sun)

Cornell did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

While Ivy League universities are major recipients of federal funding, public universities have also received a stunning amount in dollars from federal programs and grants. According to Open the Books, The University of Michigan is on pace to collect $704 million this year. The school recently came under fire for its emphasis on DEI initiatives after Black students told The New York Times Magazine that the program was "a well-meaning failure" and "superficial" at its core.

The article was updated to include a statement from Colombia University and the breakdown of federal money the university receives. 

Fox Business' Kyle Morris contributed to this report.