Brown’s $50M Deal Alters Admissions, Gender Policies

Brown University has agreed to a $50 million settlement, payable over ten years to Rhode Island workforce development organizations, in response to federal investigations into alleged antisemitism and ideological bias. In addition to restoring previously frozen research funding, Brown adopted federal mandates including merit-based admissions, banning race-based outcomes, aligning with government definitions of gender, separating men’s and women’s sports facilities, and prohibiting its health system from prescribing puberty blockers or conducting gender reassignment surgeries on minors. The agreement ends federal investigations without Brown admitting wrongdoing. Similar settlements at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania reflect a broader Trump administration initiative to reshape higher education policies. Brown President Christina Paxson emphasized the university’s effort to balance compliance with government demands while preserving academic independence.