The U.S. Department of Education released new data showing that American colleges and universities reported more than $5.2 billion in foreign gifts and contracts in 2025.

The amount covered more than 8,300 transactions.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the data give Americans "unprecedented visibility into the foreign dollars flowing into our colleges and universities, including funding from countries and entities that are involved in activities that threaten America’s national security."

She said the administration is committed to ensuring that universities disclose the "true origins of their foreign relationships," adding that transparency is essential to "ensure the security and resilience of our nation."

The disclosures were filed under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires federally funded institutions to report foreign gifts and contracts valued at $250,000 or more each year.

The department said the data is now available on an upgraded public reporting portal designed to increase transparency and allow public review of foreign funding sources, including entities designated as concerns by federal agencies.

According to the 2025 filings, the largest sources of foreign funding were Qatar with more than $1.1 billion, the United Kingdom with more than $633 million, China with more than $528 million, and Switzerland with more than $451 million.

Other major sources included Japan, Germany, and Saudi Arabia.

Carnegie Mellon University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology each reported nearly $1 billion in foreign funds, followed by Stanford University with more than $775 million and Harvard University with more than $324 million.

The department said that since 1986, universities have disclosed a total of $67.6 billion in foreign funding, most of it reported since 2019.

Between late February and mid-December 2025, institutions reported more than $2 billion in gifts and contracts after statutory deadlines, which the department said violated reporting requirements.

Harvard is singled out in the report for long-running sources of foreign funding.

Covering the period from 1986 through December 16, 2025, Harvard University has disclosed that it received more money from counterparties located in countries of concern (as identified at 42 U.S.C. § 19221(a)(1)) than any other institution of higher education, totaling over $610 million.

Section 117 is intended to provide transparency into potential foreign influence in higher education.

Institutions that fail to comply risk enforcement action by the Department of Justice and possible loss of access to federal student aid programs.

The release follows an executive order from President Donald Trump in April 2025 prioritizing transparency regarding foreign influence at American universities.

In September 2024, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party reported that federally funded researchers helped China advance technologies with military and other applications, potentially posing a national security threat.

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