U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Thursday told ABC News she is "incredibly pleased" with the $220 million deal the Trump administration struck with Columbia University.
"It's a cultural change for the campus," McMahon told ABC News after months of negotiations over Trump administration allegations about Columbia's handling of antisemitism amid protests against the Israel-Hamas war and alleged failure to do enough to stop the harassment of Jewish students.
"We are hoping this is a template for other universities, that our universities will be returned to places where students are safe on campus," she said.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, talks to her staff as they wait on the North Lawn of the White House for a TV interview, July 15, 2025.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
McMahon noted that she believes Wednesday's deal creates room for open debate and dialogue at the New York City university, where all viewpoints and ideologies can be expressed at the school.
"That's what universities are all about," she said.
MORE: Columbia University to pay $200M in settlement with Trump administration
The secretary pushed back on criticism that the department is attempting to restrict academic freedom and the federal government has committed executive overreach in its federal funding feuds with universities.
"The Education Department, and certainly the administration, is not in any way trying to dictate curriculum studies or any of that," McMahon told ABC News. "But what the administration did say is, there must be a level playing field."
"There has to be both sides that, you know, are represented on campuses," she said.
To fulfill one element of the deal, which will see Columbia pay a $200 million settlement to the federal government over three years, the university said it would assure compliance with admissions and hiring practices, effectively banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies at the school. However, the school said it did not violate civil rights laws for discriminating on the basis of race, sex, origin or other characteristics.
"As part of the settlement, the University has not admitted wrongdoing and does not agree with the government's conclusion that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act," Acting Columbia President Claire Shipman wrote in a statement.
The deal restores nearly half a billion dollars in education grants and contracts at the Ivy League institution that the school said funds critical research projects. The Trump administration's joint task force on antisemitism enacted the federal funding freeze in March after a task force investigation said they found inaction by the school to protect Jewish students.
MORE: Trump admin cancels $400M worth of grants to Columbia University
Despite the new deal, there's still criticism from some Jewish students who say they are disappointed it doesn't go far enough. Recent Columbia graduate Eden Yadegar told ABC News it is not as strong as the universities' "initial commitments" from earlier this year.
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"It's critical to keep fighting for Jewish students at Columbia and campuses across the country through all possible avenues; we have a lot more work to do," Yadegar said.
Students are seen on the campus of Columbia University, April 14, 2025, in New York.
Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
Columbia did acknowledge that "Jewish students and faculty have experienced painful, unacceptable incidents, and that reform was and is needed."
McMahon stressed that Jewish students will now be protected on Columbia's campus as the university has vowed to continue its efforts to combat antisemitism by submitting reports to a federal monitor twice a year.
"I think that Jewish students can feel safe on campus -- that was not there before," she said. "I'm very pleased with the agreement, and I think it's a win for everyone."
Taking a victory lap for the Trump administration during multiple television interviews on Thursday, McMahon said this was "quite an accomplishment" for the president's efforts to root out alleged antisemitic harassment on university campuses in the wake of widespread demonstrations protesting the conflict in Israel.
"It's a great win for education and for the administration," McMahon said. "This wouldn't have happened if Donald Trump had not been elected. I truly believe that."
MORE: Harvard asks judge to block Trump administration from withholding federal funds
The deal comes as McMahon has said in recent weeks that her department was "negotiating hard" with Columbia and Harvard University. Harvard's negotiations over more than $2 billion dollars in frozen federal funding are stuck in the courts, but McMahon said that discussions are ongoing concurrently.
Earlier this summer, the University of Pennsylvania reached a resolution agreement after a Department of Education civil rights investigation said they found violations involving transgender athletes competing in women's sports.