Qatar was the top foreign funder, pouring in more than $1 billion into American educational institutions in 2025.
American colleges and universities received more than $5.2 billion in reportable foreign gifts and contracts last year through more than 8,300 transactions, the Department of Education said in a Feb. 11 statement.
The database was compiled from foreign funding disclosures submitted by educational institutions. Such disclosures are mandated by Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which obligates universities and colleges receiving federal funding to annually disclose gifts and contracts from foreign sources valued at $250,000 or more.
The top recipient of foreign funds in 2025 was Carnegie Mellon University, which received almost $1 billion. This was followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), also at nearly $1 billion; Stanford University, which got more than $775 million; and Harvard University, which received more than $324 million, the department said.
And we are paying colleges billions of dollars to indoctrinate students, not educate them
Why are American colleges allowed to accept money from foreign countries? Exactly what is that funding for?