The Department of Education said Friday it would launch an investigation into the University of California (UC), Berkeley, over improper foreign funding disclosures.
The department said the school may have violated Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, alleging that documents submitted to the department on the school’s behalf were “incomplete or inaccurate,” according to a Friday release.
Higher education institutions receiving federal financial assistance are required to disclose foreign source gifts and contracts with a value of $250,000 or more annually to the Education Department.
In May 2023, the Daily Beast reported that UC Berkeley received $220 million from the Chinese government to launch a joint venture with the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute.
The department acknowledged the probe was sparked by media reports alleging the institution accepted hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from a foreign government, but it did not specify from which outlet, article or country the information originated.
In 2023, UC Berkeley then acknowledged having failed to report millions of dollars in foreign government funding, as required by Section 117, according to the department’s release.
The claims were followed by a 2024 report from Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party alleging that the school’s research was contributing to China’s military advancement, which resulted in a dissolved partnership between Berkeley and their counterparts overseas, according to The Associated Press.
“The Biden-Harris Administration turned a blind eye to colleges and universities’ legal obligations by deprioritizing oversight and allowing foreign gifts to pour onto American campuses. Despite widespread compliance failures, no new Section 117 investigations were initiated for four years, and ongoing investigations were closed prematurely,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
“I have great confidence in my Office of General Counsel to investigate these matters fully, and they will begin by thoroughly examining UC Berkeley’s apparent failure to fully and accurately disclose significant funding received from foreign sources,” she added.
UC Berkeley has denied claims of wrongdoing.
“Over the course of the last two years, UC Berkeley has been cooperating with federal inquiries regarding 117 reporting issues, and we will continue to do so,” the school said in a statement obtained by The Hill.
The Trump administration’s decision to crack down on UC Berkeley comes after the government rescinded federal funding from Columbia University and Harvard University over their failure to meet McMahon’s demands for a complete overhaul of campus structure.
Columbia acquiesced to the orders, but Harvard has gained widespread attention for challenging the administration in court.
