Education Dept. says Columbia fails to meet accreditation standards

The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday that Columbia University has failed to meet the standards for accreditation because it “is in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws” for allegedly tolerating harassment of Jewish students on campus.

The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights notified the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an accrediting institution that Columbia belongs to, of the alleged violation.

The department noted that federal regulations, “accreditors are required to notify any member institution about a federal noncompliance finding and establish a plan to come into compliance.”

“If a university fails to come into compliance within a specified period, an accreditor must take appropriate action against its member institution,” the department said.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon, in a statement, said, “After Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel, Columbia University’s leadership acted with deliberate indifference towards the harassment of Jewish students on its campus.”

“This is not only immoral, but also unlawful,” McMahon said.

“Accreditors have an enormous public responsibility as gatekeepers of federal student aid. They determine which institutions are eligible for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Just as the Department of Education has an obligation to uphold federal antidiscrimination law, university accreditors have an obligation to ensure member institutions abide by their standards.”

CNBC has requested comment from Columbia on the department’s move.

The department’s Office of Civil Rights in early February began investigating Columbia for possible discrimination or enabling harassment of Jewish students and faculty in violation of Title VI, the section of the Civil Rights Act that bars recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin.

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