The U.S. Department of Education has notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (the “Commission”) that Columbia University is not in compliance with the Commission’s accreditation requirements.
From the DoEd Press Release:
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today notified Middle States Commission on Higher Education (the Commission) that its member institution, Columbia University, is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws and therefore fails to meet the standards for accreditation set by the Commission. Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, the Department has an obligation to promptly provide accreditors with any noncompliance findings related to member institutions.The Commission’s “Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation” state that “a candidate or accredited institution possesses or demonstrates … compliance with all applicable government laws and regulations.” In light of OCR’s determination, Columbia University no longer appears to meet the Commission’s accreditation standards.“After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus. This is not only immoral, but also unlawful. Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “We look forward to the Commission keeping the Department fully informed of actions taken to ensure Columbia’s compliance with accreditation standards including compliance with federal civil rights laws.” ….On May 22, 2025, the Department of Education’s OCR and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) determined that Columbia University acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students, thereby violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, OCR and HHS OCR found that Columbia failed to meaningfully protect Jewish students against severe and pervasive harassment on Columbia’s campus and consequently denied these students’ equal access to educational opportunities to which they are entitled under the law.Under 34 C.F.R. § 602.20(a), accreditors are required to notify any member institution about a federal noncompliance finding and establish a plan to come into compliance. If a university fails to come into compliance within a specified period, an accreditor must take appropriate action against its member institution.
The DoEd is not terminating Columbia’s accreditation, as some headlines have suggested, but rather is now demanding that the Commission take action.
Don’t expect much from the Commission or Columbia. Reuters already is reporting that Columbia has addressed the issue with the Commission:
A spokesperson for Columbia, which has been under pressure from the Trump administration for months, said in a statement that the school addressed the department’s concerns directly with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is continuing to work with the federal government to address antisemitism.It was not clear how the Middle States Commission, which like other accrediting agencies is independent, would respond to the notification.A spokesperson for Middle States declined to comment but confirmed that the organization had received a letter from the Department of Education about the matter on Wednesday.While the federal government does not directly accredit U.S. universities, it has a role in overseeing the mostly private organizations that do. Trump has often complained that accreditors approve institutions that fail to provide quality education.
The NY Times assures its readers that Columbia has nothing to worry about:
Experts on the process said that despite the letter, Columbia faced no immediate threat that its accreditation would be revoked, a process that typically takes years.“This is another semi-random attack against a celebrity institution,” said Ted Mitchell, the president of the American Council on Education, an association that includes many colleges and universities in its membership. “They are trying once again to skirt due process in order to score political points.”Antoinette Flores, the director of higher education accountability and quality at New America, a Washington think tank, said she thought the letter was both a threat to Middle States, and to Columbia, about federal aid.But she said that the Department of Education does not have the authority to determine what violates the accreditation group’s standards. Only the accrediting body can do that, which would require its own review of what is alleged.
Columbia: WE GOT THIS!
Columbia is aware of the concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights today to our accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and we have addressed those concerns directly with Middle States. Columbia is deeply committed to combatting antisemitism on our campus. We take this issue seriously and are continuing to work with the federal government to address it.
You have to start someplace. Pulling funding was a start and needs to be accelerated. Starting the long process of deaccreditation is another step. But until Columbia and other similar schools view their very existence as under serious threat, nothing will change. Academia has become so rotten at its core that it is incapable of changing on its own.
[Featured image: Jewish student blocked on Columbia campus.]
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