Harvard University is in talks with the Trump administration to pay up to $500 million as part of a possible settlement, according to The New York Times. The deal would help Harvard regain access to federal research funding, which was frozen due to allegations of the university’s failure to respond properly to antisemitism on campus.

The final terms of the deal are still being discussed. Sources say Harvard does not want to pay the money directly to the government, but is willing to invest a large amount to meet the administration’s demands. So far, neither Harvard nor federal officials have confirmed the report publicly.

If the deal goes through, it would be more than double the $200 million that Columbia University agreed to pay last week in a similar case. Columbia's deal included $200 million in settlement payments over three years, and an additional $21 million to resolve complaints of civil rights violations against Jewish employees after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

President Donald Trump told reporters that Harvard is now ready to settle, especially after seeing Columbia’s agreement. However, he suggested that Colombia handled the situation better. “The bottom line is we’re not going to give any more money to Harvard,” Trump said. “We want to spread the wealth.”

The Trump administration is currently investigating multiple universities over claims that they failed to protect Jewish students and staff during the Israel-Hamas conflict. These investigations have led to the freezing of federal research funds at several schools.

While Harvard has denied the accusations in court, it is now considering a large financial commitment to resolve the issue and restore its access to government-backed research funding. The outcome of the talks may set a standard for how other universities handle similar cases.