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Time of India
29-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Columbia University dodges endowment tax, raising questions about student aid stability
As elite institutions brace for shifting financial ground under the reformed endowment tax system, Columbia University has, for now, narrowly avoided a direct hit. But the implications for students, especially those reliant on financial aid, may still be far from settled. Columbia Spectator , the university's student-run publication, reveals that Columbia is likely to fall below the new taxable threshold established under the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4. The legislation, passed along party lines, recalibrates how large university endowments are taxed and redefines student eligibility metrics used to determine a university's tax burden. Columbia's projected exclusion from the revised 1.4% endowment tax is rooted in its endowment-to-student ratio, which currently stands at approximately $470,000 per student. That figure places the institution just beneath the $500,000 taxable benchmark established by the bill. However, the exclusion may not hold if enrolment patterns or investment returns shift in future years. While the university may have sidestepped an immediate financial penalty, education economists and financial aid experts warn that the broader impact of the bill could ripple through student funding models. The policy that nearly caught Columbia The restructured tax system, which will take effect in 2026, introduces a tiered model that taxes endowments based on their size per eligible student. Institutions with between $500,000 and $750,000 in endowment per student will face a 1.4% tax. Those with larger endowments will face steeper rates, up to 8% for universities like Harvard and Yale, where endowment values exceed $2 million per student. For Columbia, the risk of crossing the threshold remains. If international students were excluded from its student count, as one earlier version of the bill proposed, its ratio would jump to nearly $681,000 per student. That change alone would have rendered the university taxable under the new law. While the final bill did not exclude international students after a Senate procedural ruling, experts believe similar proposals could resurface in future legislative cycles. According to Columbia Spectator , Columbia had 14,043 international students enrolled in fall 2024, one of the highest numbers in the Ivy League. Why students should still be watching Although Columbia has not yet issued a public statement on the matter, faculty and policy experts are raising concerns about how even near misses like this could affect student resources. Judith Scott-Clayton, a professor of economics and education at Columbia's Teachers College, told the Spectator that such legislation places downward pressure on university finances. 'There is going to be less money floating around for the institution to do anything that it was planning to do,' she said, warning that institutional resources, including those allocated for financial aid, may become more constrained. In fiscal year 2024, Columbia's endowment stood at $14.8 billion. Of that, approximately 24% was allocated to student support. The university reported that $648.4 million from the endowment was distributed to support students, faculty, and university initiatives, with a 5.2% effective spending rate. With almost half of institutional endowment spending nationally going toward financial aid, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers, any policy shift that affects endowment flexibility could eventually influence how generously universities support their students. Beyond endowments: Pell Grants and student loans The bill also includes changes to federal student aid programs that could complicate affordability for students across the country. While it sets aside $10.5 billion to address a deficit in the Pell Grant program and expands access for students in short-term training programs, it also introduces tighter eligibility requirements. Students will no longer qualify for Pell Grants if their total financial aid from other sources already covers the full cost of attendance. The bill also disqualifies students whose aid index, calculated via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), is more than double the maximum Pell award for the year. Early drafts of the legislation proposed cutting the maximum Pell Grant from $7,395 to $5,710 and redefining the full-time credit load from 12 to 15 credits. These measures were ultimately removed by the Senate, but their appearance at all raised concerns among student advocates. 'These are provisions that take away options from low-income students,' Scott-Clayton noted. 'They may seem technical, but over time, they can lead to reduced access and higher financial strain.' The bill also institutes a lifetime borrowing limit of $257,500 for all federal student loans, while eliminating Graduate PLUS loans and capping Parent PLUS loans. Two new repayment plans, standard and income-based, will replace existing options beginning in 2026. Columbia's future financial balancing act While Columbia has maintained steady endowment growth in recent years, including an 11.5% return in 2024, experts warn that future eligibility under the new tax framework remains uncertain. Minor fluctuations in enrolment or endowment size could push the university into taxable territory. Roger Lehecka, a former dean of students at Columbia College, told the Spectator that even the threat of taxation can constrain institutional planning. 'This is something that will damage, in a fundamental way, financial aid,' he said. Despite Republican messaging that the bill aims to hold elite universities accountable, Lehecka believes the endowment tax lacks equitable redistribution. 'If the goal is to help lower-income institutions or students, then the revenue from this tax should be directed to them,' he said. 'But that's not how things turned out.' What students should take away For current and future Columbia students, the key takeaway is not whether the university is taxed in 2025 or 2026. It is whether the broader shifts in federal higher education policy will limit the financial flexibility universities once relied on to support students. Even with generous aid models and large endowments, Columbia is not immune to changes in federal funding policy, especially when those policies are shaped by unpredictable political motives. While no tuition hikes or aid cuts have been announced, the uncertainty alone may prompt institutions to become more cautious. As debates over elite endowments and financial aid continue, student affordability remains a pressure point. For now, Columbia may have avoided a tax bill. But the bigger question lingers: What happens to student aid when universities are forced to recalibrate under political and fiscal pressure? TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Reuters
25-06-2025
- Reuters
Columbia University reports IT outage, notifies authorities
WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - Columbia University said its IT systems experienced an outage that started on Tuesday morning, adding it was probing the incident and had notified law enforcement. There was no indication of any data being compromised, said a spokesperson for the New York-based university. "This morning, Columbia University IT systems experienced an outage affecting systems on our Morningside campus. Our IT team has been working to restore services as quickly as possible, and we have notified law enforcement," the university spokesperson said. "At this time, no clinical operations at CUIMC have been impacted," the spokesperson said, referring to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center which is a major constituent of the Morningside campus near Central Park. Columbia University's student newspaper, The Columbia Spectator, reported that the hours-long outage has impacted the university's online platforms. It affected Columbia's UNI authentication service, which students use to log into their university accounts, the newspaper reported. "We are experiencing widespread system outages," the university's website noted late on Tuesday.
Roya News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Roya News
Maggie Gyllenhaal's daughter arrested during pro-Palestine protest at Columbia
The daughter of Hollywood actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard was among several students arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University. Eighteen-year-old Ramona Sarsgaard, a Columbia freshman, was taken into custody during Wednesday's protest and charged with criminal trespassing, according to a New York Post report citing informed sources. Sarsgaard's arrest came as students took over part of Butler Library, transforming it into what they called the "Basel al-Araj People's University"—named after a Palestinian activist. Demonstrators unfurled banners, handed out flyers calling for divestment from companies linked to the Israeli Occupation's genocide efforts, and chanted, 'We have nothing to lose but our chains!' University officials called the police, which resulted in several arrests. Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, responded with a statement emphasizing that 'disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated,' especially as students approach final exams. Meanwhile, protest organizers criticized what they described as an aggressive crackdown: 'We are facing one of the largest militarized police forces in the world. Deputized public safety officers have choked and beaten us, but we have not wavered … We will not be useless intellectuals. Palestine is our compass, and we stand strong in the face of violent repression.' Adding to the controversy, four student journalists—covering the protest for Columbia Spectator and campus radio station WKCR—were temporarily suspended by Columbia and its affiliate Barnard College. The students reportedly identified themselves as the press but were still sanctioned under claims of participating in the occupation. According to Columbia Spectator, suspensions were issued via email by university rules administrator Gregory Wawro and Barnard Dean Leslie Grinage, who wrote that their alleged actions 'pose an ongoing threat of disruption.' One of the suspensions was lifted within five hours. The remaining three were reversed by Friday morning. These events come amid heightened scrutiny of campus activism across the US, as federal authorities continue to target student protesters. Among those impacted is Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi, recently released after detention, while graduate Mahmoud Khalil remains in ICE custody in Louisiana.
NZ Herald
01-05-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
US judge orders release of Columbia student arrested by immigration officers
Judge Crawford likened the current climate to the McCarthy era of the 1950s and the Red Scare around the end of World War I. 'The wheel of history has come round again, but as before, these times of excess will pass,' he wrote. Judge Crawford, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Barack Obama, ordered Mahdawi released on bond while his federal habeas corpus petition and his immigration proceeding continue. Outside the courthouse, there was exultation as Mahdawi addressed hundreds of supporters while wearing a suit with a kaffiyeh, a symbol of the Palestinian cause, draped around his shoulders. 'I am saying it clear and loud to President Trump and his Cabinet: I am not afraid of you,' Mahdawi said. 'Never give up on the idea that justice will prevail.' Since April 14, Mahdawi had been held in a prison north of Burlington. The Trump administration is seeking to deport him using an obscure provision of immigration law that allows the removal of a person whose presence is deemed to undermine US foreign policy. The Government has not accused Mahdawi of a crime. Mahdawi's lawyers say federal agents gave him a notice from the Department of Homeland Security with a form attached accusing him of engaging in 'anti-Semitic conduct through leading pro-Palestinian protests and calling for Israel's destruction'. A memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleges Mahdawi engaged in 'threatening rhetoric and intimidation of pro-Israeli bystanders', something his lawyers deny. Mahdawi organised and spoke at campus protests but stepped back from activism at Columbia in March 2024, his lawyers said in a court filing. Mahdawi's supporters also noted that at a protest in 2023, he forcefully denounced a person making anti-Semitic remarks, an interaction described by the Columbia Spectator. Since last fall, Mahdawi has met weekly with a group of Israeli students at Columbia to discuss a peaceful resolution to the conflict. This month, more than 200 Israelis living in the US signed an open letter condemning his arrest. After Mahdawi arrived for his naturalisation interview at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Vermont on April 14, he was taken into custody by masked agents. The same day, agents drove him to the airport in Burlington with the goal of flying him to Louisiana, his lawyers said. Several other international students involved in pro-Palestinian campus activism, including Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, have been sent to detention centres in that state. Mahdawi missed the flight by nine minutes, he told a crowd outside the courthouse. Around the same time, a Vermont judge issued an order telling the Government not to remove him from the state in response to an emergency motion filed by Mahdawi's lawyers. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, did not respond to a question about where the agents were taking Mahdawi. 'The Trump Administration is committed to restoring the rule of law to our immigration system,' McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday. 'No lawsuit, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that.' A State Department spokesperson previously declined to comment on ongoing litigation. Prosecutors indicated they will appeal Crawford's order. At Thursday's hearing inside a packed courtroom, Crawford said the Government had failed to show that Mahdawi was a danger to the community or a flight risk. Prosecutors submitted a police report from 2015 alleging Mahdawi had made inflammatory comments; the FBI investigated and took no further action. In a sworn statement, Mahdawi denied making the comments. His lawyer called them 'cartoonishly racist hearsay'. Crawford pointed to the more than 125 letters submitted on Mahdawi's behalf by neighbours, professors and friends, many of them Jewish, attesting to his 'commitment to principles of nonviolence'. Mahdawi, who was born in a refugee camp in the West Bank, met and married an American woman who studied medicine at Dartmouth College. He received his green card in 2015 and the couple later divorced. He became a practising Buddhist. At Columbia, he majored in philosophy and was set to graduate next month. Inside the courtroom, Mahdawi embraced his lawyers after the judge announced his order. Within minutes, Mahdawi was outside under a sunny sky addressing the crowd. He gathered with others in a circle, their arms around one another, and sang We Shall Overcome.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge to rule on Mahmoud Khalil detention case Friday
Detained Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil could be released as soon as Friday, based on a timeline set by an immigration judge in Louisiana. Judge Jamee Comans on Tuesday ordered President Trump's administration to turn over any evidence supporting Khalil's continued detention by Wednesday. Comans said if the evidence doesn't support Khalil's deportation, she would 'terminate the case on Friday.' Khalil, 30, was detained March 8 at his Manhattan apartment, part of a series of arrests of foreign-born students involved in pro-Palestine protests. Khalil, like the other students, was in the U.S. legally. 'We will not forget those who have orchestrated this injustice, the government officials and university administrators who have targeted you without cause, without any shred of evidence to justify their actions,' Khalil's wife, Noor Abdalla, wrote in an open letter. The feds scooped up Khalil and the other students on a rarely used provision that gives the secretary of state power to deport noncitizen residents who pose 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.' Government attorneys have claimed pro-Palestine rallies meet those criteria. However, none of the students have yet to be deported, as they're subject to high-profile court fights. Khalil is potentially facing two court cases: one in Louisiana where he's detained at an immigration jail, and one in New Jersey where his lawyers petitioned for his release. 'We believe that it is the highest honor of our lives to struggle for the cause of Palestinian liberation,' Khalil wrote in an opinion piece published Friday in the Columbia Spectator. 'History will redeem us, while those who were content to wait on the sidelines will be forever remembered for their silence.' With News Wire Services
