U.S. Universities Underreport Donations from Hostile Regimes by Over $1.5 Billion

New data from the Department of Education show that several top-tier universities, including Yale and Cornell, failed to report more than $3 billion in foreign gifts and funds—many of which come from anti-American regimes such as China and Qatar.

According to a new study from the Clarion Project, American colleges and universities inaccurately disclosed foreign funding to the Department of Education. Between 2014 and 2019, they reported a total of $11 billion in foreign funds. But the Clarion Project's data show that the true number is over $14 billion. Some of the biggest discrepancies involve Cornell University, Texas A&M University, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Yale University.

Cornell initially reported taking $340 million in foreign funding, but the real number is closer to $1.3 billion—over $800 million of which came from Qatar. The University of Colorado Boulder initially reported $55 million in foreign funding, but the real number is closer to $345 million—61 percent of which came from the United Arab Emirates. Yale initially reported $128 million, but the real number is $496 million—almost $42 million of which came from China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Russia.