Foreign donations to American universities surged during the Biden administration, with Qatar, the largest source of such funding in the past 40 years, and China, the second-largest, significantly ramping up their donations.

A recent report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) indicates that nearly $29 billion in foreign donations to U.S. universities were recorded between 2021 and 2024, a sum that rivals the total collected over the previous forty years. Experts like Joel Finkelstein of NCRI highlight serious national security concerns, arguing that this influx represents a strategy by hostile nations such as China and Qatar to exert influence on American campuses. This financial surge coincides with an executive order from former President Donald Trump aimed at increasing transparency around foreign funding in higher education, as previous administrations, particularly Biden's, left significant gaps in enforcement of existing disclosure laws. Trump's order mandates more stringent reporting requirements, suggesting a crackdown on undisclosed foreign donations that could pose risks to academic integrity and national security. A detailed analysis by the NCRI also suggests that universities have collectively omitted reporting recovery of over $1 billion since Biden took office, signaling possible complacency or circumvention of regulations under the previous administration. The alarming prospect raised in the report highlights the extent to which foreign entities, particularly from authoritarian regimes, may have infiltrated academia, fostering a culture that risks compromising American democratic values. The situation merits close attention as debates regarding national integrity and academic independence continue to unfold in political and scholarly arenas.