The U.S. Department of Education’s newly launched foreign-funding disclosure portal is placing a spotlight on the role of Qatar in American higher education, revealing that the Gulf state is by far the largest foreign source of funding for U.S. colleges and universities.

According to data published on the portal, Qatar has provided approximately $6.6 billion in gifts and contracts to American higher education institutions—far more than any other foreign country. Germany followed with $4.4 billion, England with $4.3 billion, China with $4.1 billion, Canada with $4 billion, and Saudi Arabia with $3.9 billion.

The portal was created to enforce Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which requires federally funded universities to disclose, twice annually, foreign gifts and contracts totaling at least $250,000 in a calendar year. The reporting tool was rolled out as part of a broader push by the Trump administration to increase transparency around foreign influence on U.S. campuses.

Among the institutions receiving Qatari funding, Cornell University topped the list with roughly $2.3 billion, followed by Carnegie Mellon University at $1 billion, Texas A&M University at $992.8 million, and Georgetown University at $971.1 million.

Kenneth Marcus, chairman and CEO of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and a former assistant U.S. secretary of education for civil rights, said the scale of Qatari funding raises unavoidable questions about influence.

“It is hard to imagine that this amount of money doesn’t imply some amount of influence,” Marcus told JNS. “And it’s fair to ask what kind of influence Qatar is obtaining in exchange for its money.”

Overall, the portal shows that foreign governments and entities have provided $62.4 billion in contracts and gifts to 527 U.S. colleges and universities, underscoring the scope of foreign involvement in American higher education.

Announcing the portal’s anticipated launch in December, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the initiative was long overdue.

“After years of neglect by the Biden administration, the new portal will assist our institutions of higher education in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities,” McMahon said, adding that it would help protect national security by improving compliance.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Jooish News

Jooish News