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According to a senior official of the agencythe Stanford University is coming under increased scrutiny froml Department of Justice due to donations from foreign sources and its practices regarding international students and admissions.
Harmeet Dhillondirector of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Divisionhe declared Monday during an interview at the office of Bloomberg in Washington that the department is preparing to take a closer look at the university’s foreign funding policies. His department already launched an investigation into admissions practices at Stanford’s medical school in March.
The administration trump has been harshly criticizing elite universities and colleges, including harvard and Columbiaover accusations of anti-Semitism and discriminatory admissions practices. Stanford, in Palo Alto, California, has not come under the same level of scrutiny as many of its counterparts.
Stanford is not being ruled out “because of its prestige,” he said Dhillon in an extensive interview. “It’s because I’m strengthening my team.”
According to data from Department of Education, Stanford receives the fourth highest level of funding from foreign sources in “countries of concern” among American universities.
Dhillon He also expressed concern about funding the work of professors and laboratories that handle potentially sensitive information from a national security perspective.
“I think it’s pretty obvious which of our elite institutions have a high proportion of foreign funding,” he said. Dhillon. “Stanford “It has a high proportion of foreign students from Asia and foreign funding.”
Stanford said in a statement that it carries out “rigorous due diligence for all philanthropic donations and sponsored research, with increased scrutiny applied to international sources, particularly those from countries of concern.” The university indicated that it reviews “the verification of restricted parties, the evaluation of links with foreign governments and the assessment of the security implications of the investigation, among other measures.”
The university stated that it reserves the right to reject any donation, whether domestic or international, if the origin of the funds raises legal or ethical issues.
Stanford It is one of the richest universities in the United States, with an endowment of $40.8 billion as of August 31, 2025, according to the most recent public valuation. The donation of US$1.1 billion made in 2022 by the venture capital investor John Doerr and his wife Anne It was the largest in its history.
In June, the office of Dhillon initiated an investigation into the Harvard University for possible foreign influence in their financial aid decisions. Dhillon He said he plans to investigate other universities for similar issues.
After being sworn in last year, Dhillon sent letters to 50 major higher education institutions, taking a hard look at their undergraduate admissions practices. He subsequently sent more letters to law and medical schools to obtain information.
The administration trump froze federal funds to more than half a dozen universities before Dhillon sworn in, but ultimately she took a leading role in negotiating agreements to restore them, including with the Cornell Universityas he declared.
Harvard, which is still immersed in a legal battle with the administration over the freezing of funds, has not yet reached an agreement with it, and the Department of Justice has continued to file lawsuits and investigations against the university. Dhillon He said that while talks have slowed, he still sees a chance to reach an agreement.
