Key Points:
- US foreign university funding totaled 5.2 billion dollars in 2025, with over 8,300 foreign gifts and contracts reported by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Countries like Qatar, the UK, China, and Saudi Arabia were top contributors, while universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported nearly 1 billion dollars.
- The upgraded reporting portal now offers more data and transparency, helping the public track foreign funding trends in U.S. universities.
The U.S. Department of Education has released new data on foreign gifts and contracts reported by American colleges and universities for 2025, highlighting the scale of US foreign university funding. The disclosures include more than 8300 transactions worth over 5.2 billion dollars in reportable foreign funding. The information is now available for public inspection through the department’s updated foreign funding reporting portal.
2025 Disclosures Show Billions In Reported Funding
Under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, institutions that receive federal financial assistance must report foreign source gifts and contracts valued at 250000 dollars or more in a calendar year. The latest data brings the total reported US foreign university funding since 1986 to 67.6 billion dollars. A large share of that amount has been disclosed in recent years.
The 2025 disclosures identify Qatar, the United Kingdom, China, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, and Saudi Arabia as the largest foreign sources of reportable gifts and contracts. Among universities, Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology each reported close to 1 billion dollars in foreign funding for 2025. Stanford University and Harvard University also reported significant totals.
Between late February and mid December 2025, more than 2 billion dollars in reportable gifts and contracts were submitted after required reporting timelines. The department noted these submissions in its data release.
Covering the period from 1986 through mid December 2025, Harvard University reported more funding from counterparties located in countries of concern than any other institution, totaling over 610 million dollars. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Stanford University, and Yale University also reported substantial amounts from these countries over the same period.
Portal Upgrade Expands Public Access To Data
The department also upgraded its foreign funding reporting portal to include additional data elements and visualization tools. The updated system provides expanded information fields and new ways to review reported transactions related to US foreign university funding. Users can examine details about foreign sources, funding amounts, and recipient institutions.
The portal includes 11 additional data elements compared to the previous version. These added features allow students, faculty, researchers, and members of the public to explore trends and funding patterns in greater depth. The department stated that the data reflects disclosures submitted through December 16, 2025.
Institutions paused submissions briefly during the transition from the previous portal to the new system. Reporting resumed on January 2, 2026, for the period ending January 31, 2026. Additional disclosures submitted during the transition window are scheduled to appear on the portal by February 28, 2026.
Section 117 requires that foreign funding disclosures be made available for public inspection. The department clarified that its role is to collect and publish reported information rather than regulate which foreign entities provide funding to institutions.
The updated data offers insight into the scale and distribution of international funding across higher education. The disclosures highlight the global connections that support research, academic programs, and institutional partnerships at universities throughout the United States, underscoring the broader landscape of US foreign university funding.
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