Foreign Cash Flooding U.S. Colleges Raises Alarming Questions

FIRST ON FOX: A new report has dropped a bombshell on the financial dynamics of U.S. universities, revealing that tens of billions of dollars have poured into these institutions from foreign sources over recent years. What's particularly eyebrow-raising? A hefty $20 billion of this cash has landed in the pockets of elite schools like Harvard and Yale—the kind of places you'd expect to be above board.

The report, released by Americans for Public Trust, pulls no punches. It found that $60 billion in foreign gifts and contracts have been funneled into American colleges and universities, with $795 million coming from nations that aren't exactly on America's Christmas card list—think China, Russia, Venezuela, and Yemen. That alone should make you sit up and pay attention.

"Alarmingly, many of these schools are also top research institutions that handle sensitive information and intellectual property," the study warns, raising concerns about what strings might be attached to these big-ticket donations.

Adding fuel to the fire, Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told Fox News Digital, "For far too long, a staggering amount of foreign money has flowed into our colleges and universities with little to no transparency or oversight." She went on to link this influx of cash to a rise in anti-American sentiments and radical ideologies sprouting on campuses. Now that's a plot twist worthy of a political thriller.

Further scrutiny reveals that some Ivy League heavyweights—Harvard and Cornell, for instance—are among the top recipients of Qatari money, while Chinese funds have poured into U.S. schools at a scale that's both "dangerous and widespread," according to the report. In 2024 alone, China reportedly invested over $175 billion in American education institutions, with the University of Pennsylvania receiving a jaw-dropping $130 million over a five-year span.

So, what's the plan to stop this financial free-for-all? The study suggests passing the DETERRENT ACT, which aims to curb foreign influence by deterring bad actors from using higher education as a playground for espionage, propaganda, and discord. The stakes couldn't be higher.