High-end universities and Ivy League schools across the country are learning tough financial lessons at the hands of President Donald Trump, and Cornell University is the latest to come to the realization that going against the administration is quite costly.

According to Fox News, the university was ordered this week to pay $60 million in a deal with the Trump administration to have federal research funding restored, marking a huge blow for the university's coffers. 

The agreement was announced last week by Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff.

According to the details of the deal, the school will now have to pay the Trump administration $30 million, and pump another $30 million into funding agriculture and farming research programs.

What's going on?

In the announcement by Kotlikoff, he explained what the deal means for the university moving forward.sFox News noted:

The agreement upholds the university’s academic freedom while restoring more than $250 million in research funding that the government withheld amid investigations into alleged civil rights violations, Kotlikoff said.'

"The decades-long research partnership between Cornell and the federal government is critical to advancing the university’s core mission and to our continuing contributions to the nation’s health, welfare and economic and military strength," the statement read.

It continued, "This agreement revives that partnership while affirming the university’s commitment to the principles of academic freedom, independence and institutional autonomy that, from our founding, have been integral to our excellence."

The initial withholding of federal funds occurred due to the school's violations of civil rights.

An agreement has been formally finalized with the @WhiteHouse, @TheJusticeDept, and @USEdGov. Read the full statement: https://t.co/xyfAlBkhN2 pic.twitter.com/BTSqKqP3cR

— Cornell University (@Cornell) November 7, 2025

Fox News added:

The six-page agreement requires the university to comply with federal civil rights laws, including those involving antisemitism and racial discrimination. In addition, the university agreed to provide the Department of Justice’s "Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination" as a training resource to faculty and staff and will continue to conduct annual surveys to evaluate the campus climate for Cornell students.

Anger from the left

Liberals went absolutely nuts over Cornell's agreement, with many saying they "sold out" to the Trump administration, and some calling the school officials "traitors."

"Wow 30 million instead of 30 pieces of silver traitor either way," one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "You sold out!! I will recommend to all my students to avoid applying to Cornell. You have sold your integrity, you have sold your friends. History will remember that you bent the knee. I was a big fan until now. May God forgive your misguided actions."

It'll be interesting to see if any other big schools strike similar deals with Trump's White House.